* By TANEKA THOMPSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
tthompson@tribunemedia.net
TWO more killings in Nas-
sau over the weekend sent the
homicide rate to 57 for the year,
heightening concern that gun-
men are showing growing con-
tempt for the law.
Last night, police reported a
second killing to add to Friday
night's execution-style shooting
of a young man in an alleged
"drug-related" feud.
Details were still sketchy at
press time, but another week-
end of mayhem is bound to
spark more calls for radical
action in trying to stem the car-
nage.
Police said last night's victim
was a young man who was shot
once through the chest outside
Town Centre Mall near the
Cost Right store.
The killing happened at
7.40pm. By the time The Tri-
bune reached the scene, the
body had been taken away.
Police were unable to release
the victim's name at that
stage.
Friday's victim was Andy
Williams, 26, of Sunset Park,
who was killed in Blue Hill
Road South, becoming the
nation's 56th murder victim for
the year, further escalating the
country's unprecedented mur-
der rate.
Police sources said his death
may have been the result of a
continuing drug-related feud
between the victim and the
assailant, stemming from a pre-
vious murder in the area two
years ago.
Thanks to information

gleaned from the public, police
have arrested three persons in
connection with the killing.
According to Chief Supt
Hulan Hanna, at 10.15pm offi-
cers received information of
gunshots heard near the Farm-
ers' Market on Blue Hill Road
South.
Officers who went to lhe
scene round .' -dairk'' malk lming
on his stomach with multiple
gunshot injuries to his body, Mr
Hanna said.
"Apparently, while he was at
the market standing near his
car, it is believed that a male
came upon him from the Gold-
en Gates Shopping Centre area
near the fence and fired on Mr
Williams," he said.
"He ran and this person pur-
sued him. Mr Williams col-
lapsed a short distance away
and it was at this point that this
person continued firing on
him."
The gunman then jumped
into a waiting burgundy
coloured vehicle driven by a
suspected accomplice and fled
the scene, Mr Hanna said.
Police suspect there was at least
one other person inside the get-
away car.
Another man is listed in sta-
ble condition at Princess Mar-
garet Hospital as a result of the
shooting on Friday night.
Police said Floyd Bodie, of
Blue Hill Road South, was
struck in the chest by a gunshot
while at the scene of the mur-
der. Though he was rushed to
hospital for treatment, police
described his condition as "sta-
ble" and not life-threatening.
SEE page 12

A TRAFFIC accident early yesterday morning claimed the life of a 28-year-old woman after she appears
to have lost control of her vehicle

* By PAUL TURNQUEST
Tribune Staff Reporter
PRIME Minister Hubert
Ingraham yesterday pointedly
reprimanded members of the
public service, stating that for
too long too many government
employees "were neither civil,
nor servants of the people".
Mr Ingraham, speaking at
the eighth annual Public Ser-
vice Week church service at
Ebenezer Methodist Church,
said he was "especially

pleased" with the theme cho-
sen for this year's observance -
"promoting service in the
workplace".
"Some time ago, in an effort
to improve the image of the
Civil Service, to give it what
was felt would be added pres-
tige and to attract greater
respect for civil servants, it
became our custom to refer to
you as public officers," Mr
Ingraham began.
SEE page 11

* By TANEKA THOMPSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
tthompson@tribunemedia.net
A YOUNG woman became
the nation's 31st traffic fatality
of the year after.she lost control
of her car during an early morn-
ing drive yesterday morning,
police say.
Chief Supt Hulan Hanna said
that around 6.50am 28-year-old
Kimberly Dames of 41 Mount
Pleasant Village apparently lost
control of her vehicle and
crashed into a wooded area,
striking a tree side-on, result-
ing in her death.
Mr Hanna told The Tribune
that Ms Dames was driving
alone in a vehicle registered to
Sherika Oliver while travelling
northwest on Western Road,
near Lyford Cay.
The 1992 Honda Civic
received "extensive damage"
and, due to the extent of her
injuries, Ms Dames died at the
scene.
It is reported that Ms Dames,
who was apparently on her way
to work at the SuperClubs
Breezes Hotel, was not wear-
ing a seat-belt at the time.
Investigations are continuing.

Election court rejected Maynard

Gibson application, says FNM

A FAILED "last minute
attempt" by PLP Senator
Allyson Maynard-Gibson to
amend her election petition
indicates that her election court
challenge is likely to fail, the
FNM said yesterday.
In a press release, the FNM
said the election court rejected

Mrs Maynard-Gibson's amend-
ment and ordered her to pay
the legal costs of FNM Minister
Byran Woodside, who was her
opponent in the Pinewood con-
stituency.
Mr Woodside defeated Mrs
Maynard-Gibson in the May 2
general election, unseating the

once Minister of Legal Affairs
and Attorney General under
the Christie administration.
The trial of the election peti-
tion is scheduled to begin on
October 15.
Reportedly, Mrs Maynard-
Gibson sought to amend her
petition with additional grounds

but the Election Court, made
up of Senior Justice Anita Allen
and Justice Jon Isaacs, rejected
the application, the FNM said.
The Election Court will report-
edly give its reasons in writing
later this week.
SEE page 12

Government investigates

real estate publication

GOVERNMENT officials
are probing the activities of an
American businessman sus-
pected of operating a lucrative
advertising firm in The
Bahamas illegally.
Minister of Labour and Mar-
itime Affairs Dion Foulkes
confirmed that his ministry had
received "several complaints"
about an American who is
allegedly soliciting real estate
companies to advertise in his
publications.
Mr Foulkes said the Depart-

ment of Labour is "investigat-
ing" claims that the business-
man in question is conducting
business in the country with-
out a work permit or business
licence.
It is also claimed that the
man had discouraged poten-
tial clients from advertising in
local newspapers by saying his
publications offered wider
exposure at a competitive
price.
SEE page 12

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significant weather system that
developed yesterday off the
coast of Haiti, just south of the
Bahamas.

Several areas of heavy thun-
derstorm activity have started
firing up along this old front,
international reports indicated.
Wind shear is about 20 knots
over the region today, so only

slow development will occur.
By Tuesday, the shear is fore-
cast to drop below 15 knots, and
most computer models are fore-
casting a tropical depression will
form near Florida or Cuba.

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International weather reports
also reveal that this storm is
expected to move westward
across the Gulf of Mexico,
pushed by a strong ridge of high
pressure expected to build in.
An upper-level anti-cyclone
aloft is expected to develop as
well, providing an environment
favourable for intensification.
The UKMET model is fore-

casting a strong tropical storm
or weak hurricane by Friday for
the Texas/Mexico border
region.
The other models are not as
aggressive, but all see the pos-
sibility of a tropical storm
impacting the western Gulf of
Mexico in Louisiana, Texas, or
Mexico sometime Thursday
through Saturday.

The United States Air Force
Reserve Hurricane Hunters are
on call to fly into this system
Tuesday afternoon, if neces-
sary.
While meteorologists contin-
ue to monitor the path of this
system, it is noted that the
Bahamas is not at an immediate
risk, as Texas is considered at
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PAGE 2, MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2007

THE TRIBUNE

I

tu AW

L NW

Cuba needs
high quality
goods, says
vice president

* HAVANA
CUBA needs to produce
higher-quality goods more effi-
ciently, cut graft and reduce
reliance on gasoline, a major
economic leader said in remarks
published Sunday, according to
Associated Press.
,Vice President Carlos Lage
delivered a frank assessment of
hiscopuntry's economic future
during a closed-door speech
Saturday that was later reported
in state media, saying the com-
munist government has become
adqustomed to producing shod-
dymnerchandise and undertak-
im~unsustainable economic ini-
tiatves.
lge heads Cuba's Cabinet
a*i, exercises wide control over
administration and economic
policy in the provisional gov-
ernfnent running Cuba since
Fidel Castro stepped aside due
to illness in July 2006.
pLage said Cuba needs to slash
the amount of oil it uses and
must improve production of
goods that meet basic needs for
its population instead of poor-
quality consumer goods..
iLage said Cuba needs labour
leaders and administrators who
can solve problems including
rampant employee theft of state
materials instead of just par-
roting empty statistics.
Cuba says it is under siege by
Washington's 45-year-old
embargo, but its economy has
been relatively strong of late,
thanks to oil sold at favourable
prices by Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez, as well as credits
from China.

Jamaica trying
to improve
standing with
United States
* JAMAICA
Kingston
iJAMAICA i trying to crack
down! on trafficking and exploita-
tion of people to improve its
standing in an annual U.S.
report, the government said Sat-
urday, according to Associated
Press.
Carol Palmer, a senior official
in the Ministry of Justice, said
the government has recently
enacted longer prison terms and
heavier fines for those convicted
of trafficking in people for sex
or forced labor.
The Caribbean country is also
increasing the number of shel-
ters and services for trafficking
victims, Palmer said.
The annual US State Depart-
ment report on trafficking in per-
sons released in June gave
Jamaica a "Tier 2" ranking as a
nation that does not fully comply
with minimum standards, but
which is making significant
efforts to meet them.
."As we work toward Tier 1,
the focus is on effective investi-
gation and prosecution. There is
no guarantee that we can get
convictions, so we just have to
prepare the ground and go to
court, and see what comes of it,"
Palmer said. Jamaica has moved
upfrom the Tier 3 classification
it*received in 2005, a rank in
which nations can be subject to
US sanctions, including loss of
some forms of aid.

FORMER Minister of Agri-
culture and Marine Resources.
Leslie Miller, assured Ragged
Islanders yesterday that the
former PLP government had
secured some $4.5 million to
revitalise the island before
being voted out of office.
Mr Miller was responding to
a Tribune story about the
islanders' appeal for money to
"unblock" the island's harbour
channel.
This action, Ragged
Islanders claim, would help
bolster the island's appeal for
future investment and devel-
opment.
Mr Miller said it was almost
two and a half years ago that
he got a European Union
grant for Family Island devel-
opment.
Included in this grant, he
said, was some $4.5 million
earmarked for Ragged Island.
"That was really done to ful-
fil the dream of the Hon-
ourable Alfred P Maycock,
someone who was born and
grew up in Ragged Island, and
like myself having most of my
descendants from Ragged
Island on my mother's side.
"We procured the grant
from the European Union for
the dredging of the harbour.
We were, in fact, putting in a
new harbour, a new dock, and
also fixing the runway at the
airport, fixing the roads, and
putting in running water for
the people of Ragged Island'
"That was approved. It came
back to Cabinet, and it was
approved by Cabinet. The
funds were earmarked. Mr
Bradley Roberts, the former
Minister of Works, in fact went
out for bids around February
or March of last year. I believe
those bids should now be in."
Mr Miller said.
Mr Miller encouraged the
current Minister of Works, Dr
Earl Deveaux, to continue the
project and begin work quick-

ly.
"I agree whole-heartedly
with the .views expressed by
the persons who pleaded in the
article. Once you have the
infrastructure that is so badly
needed in Ragged Island, you
will have a lot of tourists, espe-
cially boaters who ply our
waters and would see that as a
safe harbour.
"Because it is a beautiful,
safe harbour it just needs to
be totally refurbished. The silt
has covered the inland water-
way, and the funds are there,"
he said.

TERREL A. BUTLER,
Attorney-at-law has relocated from the
Office of the Attorney General
to operate as a General Practitioner at
12 Patton Street, Palmdale, behind FINCO.

Mr Miller said not only did
the PLP secure funds for
Ragged Island, but also for
Inagua, and most of the
MICAL area.
The total package from the
European Union was believed
to be some $8.5 or $9 million,
Mr Miller said.
"I am very hopeful that the
sitting minister will see to it
that this work gets started to.
enable the good people of
Ragged Island to have some
economic activity, which it has
been lacking for the past 30 to
40 years." he said.

"WHAT IS the truth? said jesting Pilate;
and would not stay for an answer."
This is the opening line of Francis Bacon's
essay (1625) "Of Truth."
Pilate had Truth before him, but it was too
Much for him to handle and so he washed his
hands, turned on his heels and walked away.
What is truth? we ask the PLP. We get no
answer. However, judging from their present
tactics, it appears that some of them are on a
mission of political destabilisation. They have
not accepted the-results-of the May 2 elec-
tion and so their one objective is to take back
the government by misinformation, deceit -
truth be damned. Win at any price seems to be
the name of the game.
They remind us of the Sophists, teachers in
ancient Greece, who for a fee would instruct
their students, not only to speak elegantly,
but persuasively with the sole object of
winning the debate. As society's rules were
mere convention rules made by men -
they could be changed at anytime, argued the
Sophists. And so rules, conventions, morality
and laws, for them, could be twisted, tweaked,
tossed about, anything to prevail over an
opponent. For them it was foolish to talk of
Truth in absolute, immutable terms. Truth,
for the Sophist, was subjective, used by a per-
son in whatever way he considered necessary
to achieve his personal objective.
And that is what is happening in this town
today at the expense of a gullible, ill-informed
public. Only it is not being done with the ele-
gance of a Sophist, it is being engineered by 4
crude, puerile novice. It would probably,
therefore, be an insult to an educated, smooth-
talking Sophist to make the comparison.
There are those who are desperate td'lbn-'
vince the public that Prime Minister Ingra-
ham is a very ill man, incapable of leading
this country.
In one of the innumerable websites, one
that many members of the public attribute to
the PLP, it was claimed that an ambulance
pulled up to Mr Ingraham's home, followed by
Health Minister Dr Hubert Minnis. It
screeched off with presumably Mr Ingraham
inside. "Scribbler" then went on a merry ram-
ble of insinuation, leaving no doubt in any-
one's mind that Mr Ingraham's health should
indeed be a matter of public concern.
It is true that an ambulance pulled up to Mr
Ingraham's home last week. It pulled up for his
housekeeper, a diabetic, who needed urgent
medical care. Mr Ingraham was in his gov-
ernment office ignorant of what was taking
place at his home. Yesterday he was at
Ebenezer Methodist Church for the obser-
vance of the eighth annual celebration of Pub-
lic Service Week. He thanked the church com-
muqity for allowing him to join in their Sunday
worship as they marked "the beginning of our
week of recognition of deserving public offi-
cers and retired public servants."

A which brings us back to the PLP and their
tactics of lies and half-truths.
Last week they sent out a release to the
media entitled: "The FNM flip-flop style hurt-
ing Bahamians."
They dealt with many subjects, but as this is
civil service week we shall concentrate on the
civil service.
The PLP release claimed that Mr Ingra-
ham told a "big lie" when he assured the civ-
il service that their jobs were secure, but just
days after taking office "mass firings" started.
It was claimed that more than 1,000 Bahami-
ans lost their jobs. Common sense should tell
the public that this was not true. With that
number of jobless people on the streets all at
once there would be chaos.
What is true is that when the FNM took
office they discovered persons, hired by the
PLP shortly before the election, with letters of
employment for a set period for example,
three months, six months, etc. It was discov-
ered at the Ministry of Works that a little
more than two weeks before the May 2 elec-
tion, 47 persons had been hired; 27 of them
had no proof of even temporary employment.
They told a Tribune reporter that they were
just told to "go to work." They had not been at
the Ministry long enough to get.their first pay
cheque when the PLP government, which had
hired them with to future security, was out of
office.
Shortly before the election the PLP gov-
ernment sent $60,000 to Acklins to hire tem-
porary labourers for specific work for peri-
ods ranging from three to six months. Having
completed their terms of employment as estab-
lished by the PLP, they were paid by the FNM,
but not rehired.
In certain areas where there was need those
..wh .e temporary employment had expired
were assessed. If they were found capable of
doing the work, and if there were sufficient
funds to pay them, they were rehired.
However, as someone remarked recently,
what is of interest is that those hired by
the Christie government just before the elec-
tion who the PLP wanted to secure on the
civil service list, had all their contracts in
order. The others were temporaries,
employed only for the election period. Their
period of employment was fixed by the PLP.
and when those terms were completed, the
FNM government paid them off. As they
had obviously completed whatever the PLP
government hired them to do, there was no
further need for their services. If there is
now a problem, those persons should look to
the PLP for an explanation. It was the PLP
government that determined their length of
service.
The House of Assembly will be back in
ses: mn on Wednesday. It promises to be an
interesting period when we hope that the truth
eventually will out.

Escalation

of crime in

our country

EDITOR, The Tribuqe
Crime, crime and more crime,
can only be defined as being a
burden of destruction, upon us
and our country.
In today's society, brutal
crimes are occurring on an
everyday basis. Crime is like the
action of magnet attracted to
steel, how fast it's happening!
Moreover, the majority oL the
crimes in our society are con-
riected to our young people
between the ages of 16-45. It is
unbelievable how the prolifera-
tion of crime sparks out in our
Bahamian society and, I quote,
"a religious country." However,
it is reasonable to state that this
popular claim of religiosity
recently seems so fictitious now.
The inhumane, terrible, evil
crimes done includes: burglary,
murder, robbery, and it goes on
and on. Have you ever sat down
and thought of the crimes that
are occurring in our country and
why are they happening? I
guess not, right? But try it one
day and you will see how it can
affect you.
Remember all these crimes
can turn-off tourists to the
Bahamas 'permanently' which
we know as being our number
one industry in the Bahamas.
No tourist will enjoy visiting a
place that is destroyed by crimes
- I know 1 would not either!
Just weeks ago at the begin-
ning of the school year, two
young school boys were
stabbed; one at AF Adderley
Junior High School and Cl Gib-
son Senior High School right in
New Providence. Come on now.
it's just the very beginning of
the school year and things like
this are happening!
Do you know that it is pre-
dictably many people (espe-
cially family islanders) make the
point that as soon as they turrt
on the radio they expect some
kind of crime to have taken
place? I think as a Bahamian
citizen, that this should not be
happening in this beloved.
blessed country.
Many of the crimes arise. I

assure you, from vengeance,
hatred and jealousy. Remem-
ber, the first crime that took
place in the book of Genesis
and its cause jealousy! So
this has been adopted from the
time Cain killed his brother
Able!
Over the years crime
has rapidly grown in our society.
In our society today, crime has
taken a tremendous increase for
many reasons, including bad
parenting, unemployment and
peer pressure. These have been
a burden on the society and in
their actions, the public seems
unconcerned!
Through the years, bad-par-
enting has affected our society
negatively as stated by the news
article, "Feckless and abusive
parents are to be blamed for
the youth crime and unruly
behaviour." In many cases,
some children are neglected by
their parents --therefore prop-
er training, manners and good
conduction are not instilled in
their lives. As a result, they have
no one to look up to as their
role models in making the right
choice. Parents must set the
right examples. However there
is a hard core of feckless parents
who have corrosive effects on
the rest. There is a cycle of dis-
respect starting in the schools,
and lasting throughout their
children's lives! They therefore
suffer, and thus end up engaging
in criminal activities such as
stealing, abusing, killing anid
assaulting.
I would like to send out a
very important message to the
parents, especially as a young
man who was spiritually
brought up on Long Island by
my grandparents, and was
trained in how children should'
conduct themselves. I knew that
I was disobedient, the conse-
quences that followed were a
beating or being grounded (seri-

ous grounding).
Today, the parents are the
children and the children have
become the parents. Why I say
that you may ask? Because
nowadays if the parents tell a
child not to go somewhere or
do something, that child does
the opposite and disobeys the
parents and there are usually
no consequences to face for it.
This means that the parents are
taking instructions from the
children right? But I would like
you parents to stand up to your
children and ensure that they
do what you say because they
are living under your roof and
you are supplying their every
need with the help of the
Almighty God.
I recommend that we shall
all pull ourselves together and
help to combat these crimes
that are bringing our country
down. We need to encourage
young people to attend church
regularly, in order to hear and
understand God's word and to
know that God wants them to
do what is right and pleasing in
His sight, free from sinful deeds.
We as a Christian nation
should not live like cats and
dogs, but like godly people and
have love for everyone, because
in God's sight we all are one.
Remember, in the New Testa-
ment Jesus told us, in adher-
ence to the greatest command-
ment, to love our neighbour
(which includes everyone) as
we love ourselves.
In closing, let us all live up to
our National Pledge which says:
"I pledge my allegiance to the
flag and to the Commonwealth
of the Bahamas. for which its
i~n('di; one people united in
love and service." *. .- -
So let us be loyal and faithful
to our country, respecting its
laws and living as one people
- in love and service! Let us
work towards keeping our
nation at a great standard.
God bless the Bahamas!
SHAVADO GIBSON
Nassau
September 30 2007

We must think of future generations

when dealing with Bahamian land

EDITOR, THE TRIBUNE
I LISTEN to many of the
Talk Shows and I find Teff
Lloyd to always be non political,
straight tot he point, calls a
spade a spade and so you have

to ponder what his political per-
suasions are. Today' topic
Bahamian Land is very dear to
me. Eight years ago I did a let-
ter entitled "Don't sell your
birthright for porridge". Selling
land in New Providence and
Paradise Island to foreigners
should cease and leave whatev-
er land is left should only be
, sold to Bahamians.
I do not have a problem with
foreign investors coming in, and
1 welcome them. We need them
but they should now be directed
to our Family of Islands.
Remember New'Providence is
only 7x21.
I gave the former govern-
ment an A+ for their views of
the Albany Project, Minister
Earl Deveaux for bringing the

matter to the people and I
hope the present government
would also look out for the
best interests of the Bahamian
people when contemplating
selling whatever little land that
is left New Providence and
Paradise Island. Attorney Fer-
reira has always impressed me
and I agree with his views as
the guest on Mr Lloyds Show
today; that, we should protect
Bahamian land left in New
Providence and Paradise
Island for our future Bahami-
ans or as 1 said "we would be
selling our birthright for por-
ridge.
AUDLEY D HANNA Sr JP
Nassau
September 12 2007

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Deadline is Friday, October 5, 2007.

60-year-old
receives
gun wounds
in robbery
AN elderly man is in
Princess Margaret Hospital
nursing gunshot wounds as
a result of an armed robbery
over the weekend, police said
yesterday.
Robert Bullard, 60, pro-
prietor of the Midway Con-
venience Store in Cox Way
and East Street, received
gunshot wounds to the body
during an armed robbery of
his shop.
Chief Supt Hulan Hanna
said at 11.58am on Saturday,
while at his place of business,
Mr Bullard, along with a
male employee, were "held
at bay" by two armed men
who demanded cash.
"During this process it is
believed that there was a
struggle with Mr Bullard and
at least one of the suspects
resulting in Mr Bullard being
shot to the body," Mr Hanna
said.
Mr Bullard was rushed to
Princess Margaret Hospital
by ambulance, where he is
listed in "serious" condition.
Police said his condition is
not life-threatening.
Officers are seeking infor-
mation from the public on
the shooting. Investigations
are continuing.

Share

your

news
The Tribune wants to hear
from people who are
making news in their
neighborhoods. Call us
on 322-1986 and share
your story.

PetCoto

Former BDM says priorities of

FNM wrong in immigration

* By TANEKA THOMPSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
tthompson@tribunemedia.net
A LOCAL activist and for-
mer member of the Bahamas
Democratic Movement (BDM)
harshly criticised the new
administration's initiatives on
several hot topic social issues
yesterday.
Omar Archer, who has newly
formed ties with the Progres-
sive Liberal Party (PLP), lam-
basted the Free National Move-
ment (FNM) on a number of
issues, including its approach to
the judiciary system, immigra-
tion reform, and the Royal
Bahamas Police Force.
He appealed for the current
administration to "fully commit
itself" to restoring the Bahami-
an judiciary system. This would
not only assist with reducing the
backlog of criminal cases, but
also ensure the financial sector's
competitive' edge, Mr Archer
said in a press statement.
He said there was an
"urgent" need for an indepen-
dent body to perform salary
reviews for judiciaries and
"negate any form" of prejudice
or bias within the system.
While acknowledging the
importance of the recent immi-
gration audit performed by the
Department of Immigration to
provide citizenship and resi-
dency to those eligible persons
with applications pending, he
also blasted Minister of Nation-
al Security and Immigration
Tommy Turnquest for not first
attempting to secure Bahami-
an borders as a way to curb the
mounting illegal immigrant
problem.
"I am all for addressing the
problem of statelessness, but
prior to making such an
announcement, Minister Turn-
quest should have first engaged
in the securing of (Bahamian)
borders...once our borders are
secured and immigration is
under control, then we can
engage in immigration reform,"
he advised.

He blamed the country's
"open waters" and apparent
lack of manpower in the RBDF
for the increased number of ille-
gal immigrants who appear "a
dime a dozen" on Bahamian
shores.
In light of the recent trend of
violent crimes within the coun-
try, particularly the surge in
firearm related murders for the
year, Mr Archer cited alleged
corruption within the police
force.
Quoting the US Department
of State's website, he stated that
over the past two years there
were "536 complaints lodged
against police officers by mem-
bers of the public."
Describing the police as hav-
ing a culture of "corruption"
and "brutality", he called for

the "reshaping of the existing
mentality of officers."
By fully reviewing police
salaries and raising the entry
level requirements in an effort
to "attract more mature candi-
dates" to the force, Mr Archer
feels this would be a step in the
right direction to raising the lev-
el of pride within the police
force.
He also highlighted the need
for the RBPF to:
Identify and isolate rouge
officers
Establish an independent
oversight committee
Ensure that those who com-
mit dangerous crimes are not
released on to the streets on
bail before their cases are heard
in court.
"We, the Bahamian people,

want to know this government's to addressing these issues," Mr
level of commitment in relation Archer said.

uen ine Leathe

Rosetta Street Ph: 325-3336

YOUR CONNECTIONFefO THE WORLD

THE BAHAMAS
TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY,
LIMITED (BTC)

GOVERNMENT NOTICE

Invitation for Proposals

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company Limited (BTC)
is soliciting proposals from qualified suppliers for the provision
of a Direct Top-Up Pre-paid Mobile Solution.

Interested parties may obtain further information, including
eligibility to participate as of Wednesday, September 12, 2007
from the BTC Public Relations Department, John F Kennedy
(JFK) Drive, Nassau, Bahamas.

Any queries should be directed to Ms. Eldri Ferguson at (242)
324-9900 or (242) 424-2532 or eferguson@btcbahamas.com.

Please respond to this RFP by no later than 4:00 p.m., October
22nd, 2007, addressed to:

csb consultants limited is a Bahamian engineering consultancy firm which specializes in th<
disciplines of Civil, Structural, Marina, and Environmental Enginering We are currently in
the process of looking for applicants to join our professional team in the following positions:
CIVIL ENGINEER
Requirements:
* Bachelor Degree in the field of Civil Engineering.
* 3-5 years experiences in Civil Engineering and Construction related fields.
* At minimum, an Engineer Intern on an established track to being rtvgite.ea with
Bahamas Professional Engineers' Board or with a recognizied irntirt; nal al hcensing
body.
* Experience in the de;ipn of Subdivisions. Roads. Draiiiage :tl W\:alt md Seve.ige
Systems.
* Ability to use engineering software such as Auto CAD 200-1. Xto'tdck I ni De sktop
2006, Advanced Microsoft Excel. and engineering computations solvirc such as
Matlab.
* Proficient in implementing site quality as;su-ance measure 0 :11~o ereeinp site
supervision.
ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN/DRAFF'SMAN
Requirements:
* Associates Degree in Civil Technology or l echtical I)ralini t ,, t10I N~:niols
* 1-2 years experience with structural dtaftitng ol constt action di't.e ln i inu .
* Working knowledge of the AutoCAD software.
* Autodesk Land Desktop 2006 experience is a plus.
* Capable of drafting and creation of construction ldocuents
* Capable of assisting engineers on site with supe.rvisiotin and imaniientcni infic
Candidates should be hard working and be able 'o handle n nimrbic, of projects
simultaneously. csb consultants limited is a team orientated compa',. aid potential
employees should be capable of adapting to this philosophy
All interested candidates should e-mail therc restumes i,:
jdic_ i:-LL.'Lin Illt lin di'ilLJ.._ i with SURB.IECT: (ivil Engiineer O()' P: If cch
OR fax to: (242) 325-7209 ATr-N: Ms. Jodie XV ebb

Sid

I

;La q

- --- - I -- -----VV"M muln"""m I~an~s~FIII

I

THE RIBUE MNDAY OCTBER1,207, PGE

All of Caribbean feeling a

drop in tourism numbers

TORONTO The Bahamas
is not unique in its struggle to
sustain last year's visitor arrival
levels since virtually all
Caribbean destinations have
seen lower arrivals since
enforcement of the Western
Hemispheric Travel Initiative ,
Caribbean Tourism Organisa-
tion Secretary General Vincent
Vanderpool-Wallace has con-
firmed.
After the official opening cer-
emony of Caribbean Week at
downtown Dundas Square, Mr
Vanderpool-Wallace said it was
clear that the United States'
decision to require US citizens
to present passports for flights
into and out of the USA caused
a reduction in travel business
for the Caribbean.,
"Every single study shows
that," he said. "But fortunately,
the US government appears to
have gone through the backlog
that they have and are getting
back to some sense of normalcy
so that people can apply for
their passport and get it. So, we
hope that this is really a tem-
porary interruption in our busi-
ness and that in the future our
business will continue to grow."
However, Mr Vanderpool-
Wallace said the backlog
caused by new applications for
passports might reveal a silver
lining for the Caribbean. He
said it could indicate that even
US citizens who had neither
bookings nor plans to travel
were also applying for pass-
ports.
"So, we may see on the back
end of this many more Ameri-
cans with passports to gb over-
seas that never had them
before," he said.
"So the total size of the over-
seas travel market may grow,
and as a result of that, our busi-
ness may get back on track."

DAVID SINGH, honorary chairman of Caribbean Week, conducts a ceremonial ribbon-cutting to open the first
Caribbean Week in Toronto. Also pictured (from left) are Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, secretary general of
Caribbean Tourism Organisation; Allen Chastenet, chairman of CTO, and Mike Wallace, MP for Burlington,
Ontario.

As the first Caribbean Week
in Toronto moved into full gear,
Mr Vanderpool-Wallace said
CTO plans to introduce a series
of Caribbean Weekends in sev-
eral North American cities in
the coming years. More inter-
esting components of the week-
ends' activities will allow vari-
ous Caribbean countries to be
visible in those cities.
Mr Vanderpool-Wallace said
the Caribbean Weekends will
also facilitate more direct book-
ings at the events.

"In spite of all the digital
world that we are championing
right now, we have found that
nothing works like people being
able to talk to and touch some
of the people (from the
Caribbean) and some of the
wonderful things about the
Caribbean," he said. "The
music, the rum, the rhythm is
what it is all about."
Mr Vanderpool-Wallace said
Caribbean governments and
private sector organizations are
becoming more unified, mak-

ing promotions more effective.
He said CTO has spent the past
two years under his leadership,
putting an organisational infra-
structure in place to support
expanding operations and pro-
motions for the Caribbean.
"We are so far ahead of
where we expected to be at this
stage, it's astonishing," he said.
Mr Vanderpool-Wallace said
some improvements are still to
be made. However, he was sat-
isfied with progress made by
the CTO in the past two years.

THE Fall Chess Classic,
sponsored by Bank of the
Bahamas International, was full
of intense competition and skill.
The tournament is a prelude
to the 35th Bahamas National
Chess Championship, set for
November.
Players as young as six were
among 43 players taking part.
Winners in each division
were:
Open Byron Small, Doris
Johnson High School teacher;
U-16 Kristian Plakaris,
COB;
U-14 Jesse Wheeler, St
Andrew's High School;
U-12 Travis Miller, A F
Adderley High School;
U-10 Ramon Patterson,
South Haven Christian Acade-
my.
As a special prize, the Bank
of the Bahamas presented win-
ners of the three highest divi-
sions with its VISA Prepaid Gift
Cards.
Vaughn Delaney, the bank's
deputy managing director, said
he hoped in future the bank
would be able to offer more and
better prizes to encourage more
people to participate.
President Kean Alfred Smith
acknowledged that this is "a
wholesome activity that helps
develop concentration, imagi-
nation, discipline, teamwork
and problem solving skills
among other things."

Share

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The Tribune wants to hear
from people who are
making news in their
neighborhoods. Perhaps
you are raising funds for a
good cause, campaigning
for improvements in the
area or have won an
award.
If so, call us on 322-1986
and share your story.

The organisation began with
the insight of a few men in the
1960s who were interested in
chess. Subsequently, the feder-
ation sent teams to the
Olympiad several times.
Mr Delaney said: "Given all
of the negative press recently

about the performance of our
young people, I am pleased to
see so many persons competing
in chess today."
He said chess developed
mathematical skills and helped
the Bahamas produce children
who can "compete well any-

Authorized distributor for

The Bahamas

Sales, *Parts

where in the world."
The bank has sponsored the
event four of the six times it has
been held.

Growing dynamic company is seeking financial controller.
Well established distributor and retail organization.
The successful applicant should have the following requirements:
Bachelor's degree in finance or equivalent
CPA preferred not required,
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Will work closely with owner and management.
Salary offered along with benefits based on qualifications and experience.
Qualified persons are asked to fax a copy of their resume before October 1, 2007 to 242-394-6706

* By Bahamas Information
Services
MINISTER of State for
Social Development Loretta
Butler-Turner says her ministry
will continue to find ways to
empower the country's senior
citizens through a variety of
programmes geared towards
that objective.
Mrs Butler-Turner said senior
citizens deserved the best qual-
ity of life the nation can afford,

adding that the country will
reap the benefits of their con-
tinued contributions.
"I have been told by many
older persons that life begins at
60," Mrs Butler-Turner said, "so
to empower this segment of our
population should not be very
difficult. Empowerment sug-
gests that society provides the
means whereby our older per-
sons would acquire the ability to
improve their situation and
develop themselves, while

Call:

encouraging them in their pur-
suits."
Addressing the launch of
National Older Persons Month
scheduled for October 1-31, Mrs
Butler-Turner said that, accord-
ing to a United Nations survey,
the population of persons 60
years and over is the fastest
growing demographic in the
world.
She said while academics,
experts, policymakers, econo-
mists and healthcare providers

csb consultants limited

esb coualtants limited is a Bahamian engineering consultancy firm which specializes in the
disciplines of Civil, Structural, Marina, and Environmental Engineering. We are currently in
the process of looking for applicants to join our professional team in the following positions:
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Requirements:
* Bachelor Degree in the field of Civil Engineering.
* 4-7 years experiences in Structural Engineering and Construction related fields.
* Registered with The Bahamas Professional Engineers' Board and/or registered as a
Professional Engineer with a recognized international licensing body.
* Strong grasp of concrete, steel and timber structural design methods, and experienced in
producing composite designs and required design calculations with minimal supervision
or guidance.
* Strong command of The Bahamas Building Code and structural codes relevant to
engineering design (i.e. ACI 318 Concrete Code, AISC Steel Codes and AITC Timber
Code etc.).
* Ability to use engineering AutoCAD 2004 drafting software, structural analysis and
design software such as SAP2000, Advanced Microsoft Excel, and engineering
computations software such as Matlab.
* Experience in conducting structural surveys, processing data and producing required
reporting.
* Proficient in implementing site quality assurance measures and overseeing site
supervision.
STRUCTURAL FIELD TECHNICIAN
Requirements:
* Associates Degree in the field of Civil Engineering Technology.
* 3+ years experience in the Construction field inspecting steel reinforcing installations and
performing quality assurance exercises.
Candidates should be hard working and be able to handle a number of projects
simultaneously. esb consultants limited is a team orientated company, and potential
employees should be capable of adapting to this philosophy.
All interested candidates should email there resumes to:
iodiericsbconsultantslimited.com with SUBJECT: Structural Engineer OR Field Tech.
OR fax to: (242) 325-7209 ATTN: Ms. Jodie Webb

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are conjecturingg broadly"
about how this demographic
will impact society, underlying
these opinions is the fact that
senior citizens "deserve the best
quality of life our nation can
afford because we reap the ben-
efits of their continued contri-
,butions."
"Aging is the single, common
experience of our diverse time,"
Mrs Butler-Turner said. "It
touches us all in ways we do not
always anticipate."
Mrs Butler-Turner said while
National Older Persons Month
provides her ministry with an
opportunity to highlight issues
affecting older persons, it is
impossible to "relegate issues
relating to them into one neat
category for a month."

Goals

She said officials from her
ministry, particularly the staff
of the Senior Citizens Division,
have been able to assist the
country's elderly throughout the
year through the development
of a series of programmes
designed not only to empower
them, but to tackle the chal-
lenges they face "and to plan
accordingly for tomorrow."
To reach this goal, officials at
the ministry work closely with
the National Council on Older
Persons whose members serve
as advisers to the ministry on
matters relating to the elderly.
The board comprises mainly
retired persons from various
backgrounds.
"It has accomplished much in
its short span and we appreciate
the efforts that are made on
behalf of all older persons in
our country." Mrs Butler-Turn-
er said.
The ministry also works in
conjunction with the council to
facilitate a series of computer
classes for older persons. The
programmes have been so suc-
cessful that there is a waiting
list. The programme has been
extended to Grand Bahama.
Minister of State Butler-
Turner said partnerships have
been formed and will continue
to be formed with other sectors
of society, including the fami-
ly.

I L[6/

'i

S'\Onth I r
fonth
?

FROM LEFT are Jane Adderley Committee Member; Mellany Zonical,
Director of Social Services; Allen Strachan, under secretary Ministry of
Health & Social Development; Elizabeth Diggiss, welfare officer; Loretta
Butler-Turner, Minister of State for Social Services, holding conch shell
award that will be given to the honornees; Charles Sawyer, committee
member; Marva Russell Minns, deputy director, department of Social
Services; and Rose Bain, assistant director responsible for senior
citizens

0- '

, !:

A

PRESENT AT a press briefing on Older Persons Month were Mellany
Zonical, Director of Social Services:Loretta Butler-Turner, Minister of
State for Social Services; Allen Strachan, under secretary Ministry of
Health & Social Development; and Charles Sawyer, committee member.

"Family members play a vital
role in the lives of senior citi
zens. Through my ministry.
efforts are continually being
made by social workers and
case aides to foster family ties
by organising and encouraging
family meetings.
"As we age. the benefit of
having good tamily relations
helps to miniiise loneliness,,.
anxiety and depression." Mrs
Butler-Turnei said.

National Older Persons
Month gets underway today
with a church service at Evan-
gelistic Iemple, Collins Avenue.
Other activities scheduled for
the month include an Older
Persons Forum on Thursday,
October 18, and the annual
Nation Builders Award which
honours the contributions older
persons have.made toJ.esoci-
etv and which will be held Mon-
cdav. October 29.

(hi" f~f

h'i

IVERN ULYSSES DAVIS

June 9, 1930 Oct. 1, 2006

TO WELL TO BE FORGOTTEN

We continue to be sustained b

your prayers and outpouring
_. love and support.
We are forever grateful. ..

;. Loving Wife and Dev
Family ,

REMEMBERING

~~'i) 1 / /('J'C d'ii(

Arriving Monthly

loor Easy Financing

k And Insurance

fi On Premises

Check Our Prices

Before buying

Bahamas Bus & Truck

I

i LOCALNEWS I

m

i 'L

,4
'II

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,
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I

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~~~~b

*,

Haiti to execute

investment code

* By Bahamas Information
Services
PORT-AV-PRINCE, Haiti -
Once a destination of choice in
the Caribbean, Haiti is imple-
menting a master plan a Code
of Investment to attract for-
eign investors and tourists back
to its picturesque mountainous
terrains.
The 25-year plan calls for a
multi-million dollar road pro-
ject, creation of national parks,
development of small and large
resorts, upgrade airports, and
making artwork a focal point of
the tourism product.
The plan further calls for
development throughout Haiti,
to encourage residents to live
outside the capital, Port-au-
Prince, where more than two
million Haitians live. Out of
Haiti's 8.5 million population,
57 per cent are below 25 years
old.
Director General of Tourism
in Haiti Daniel Fouchard said
that, following years of politi-
cal and economic unrest, Haiti's
tourism sector declined consid-
erably, leaving negative images
worldwide.
But he noted that after elec-
tions in 2006, which seemingly
ushered in a peaceful period,
Haiti is in the position to repo-
sition itself as a destination of
choice.
Mr Fouchard was addressing
the 17-member delegation of
the Bahamas Chamber of Com-
merce at the-Ministry of
Tourism last Wednesday in
Port-au- Prince:
The group of business per-
sons was led by executives
Dionisio D'Aguilar, president;
Philip Simon, executive -direc-
tor; and Bahamas Ambassador
to Haiti Dr Eugene Newry.
Purpose of the trip was to
explore avenues for develop-
ing trade arrangements
between Haiti and the
Bahamas in agriculture, poul-
try, telecommunications, con-
struction, souvenir and craft
making and other areas of
commerce.
Mr D'Aguilar noted that The
Bahamas has about five million
tourists annually, and that the
country's tourism product is
enhanced by large and small
resorts, mainly on the Family
Islands.
He said the Bahamas had
attracted large resort developers
such as Kerzner, Atlantis, Four
Seasons, Hilton, Sheraton, San-
dals and SuperClub Breezes.
The Bahamas also boasts of
having a stable political and
economic climate, right for
attracting foreign investment.
Mr Fouchard said that
interest is mounting from the
foreign investor to establish
large resort chains in the
island. But it is careful not to
become like the Dominican
Republic, with 66,000 rooms,
and a 70 per cent occupancy
rate. "We are planning it and
we want to direct the
investors into some specific
areas," he said.
Mr Fouchard said that Haiti
is also seeking to develop a mul-

THIS ARTIST shows off his work along the streets in Port-au-Prince,
Haiti. The Ministry of Tourism is pushing art as a focal point of its
tourism product

THE MOUNTAINS are calling foreign investment to Haiti, the Bahamas
Chamber of Commerce was told during a trade and industry tout from
September 23 to 27

ti destination concept, where-
by tourists can choose to visit
any of its islands and those in
the Caribbean during one vaca-
tion trip.
"This is why we want to work
with the governments of other
islands to find out the possibil-
ities within our countries to
have such an agreement," he
said
A challenge would be to
have small airlines establish
routes to accommodate traffic
between the islands to gener-
ate revenue.
He noted that, as with the
Bahamas, his country was also
seeking to develop agreement
with other Caribbean islands to
.assist Haiti redevelop its
tourism product.
"Haiti is no more isolated.
There is a huge demand for
rooms but we don't have the
investments. Now we have to
hurry. We are proposing to the
government to develop tourism
in the north," Mr Fouchard
said.
.He said that Haiti's tourism
sector suffered through a loss
of rooms resulting from vio-
lence, which forced the United
Nations to step in to maintain
peace.
In the area of foreign
investment, Mr Fouchard said
that no investor can buy an
entire island. The policy calls
for local access and that
Haitians be involved in the

development.
"Locals must be involved in
the development. Any sustain-
able development of tourism
means involvement of the peo-

"Midas is a business based on service, quality and reliability.
Factory scheduled maintenance is car card.
Midas services your car fully. Our system takes the guesswork
out of auto care for every car model out there.

The Home Store

To all of our loyal customers
We have closed our Sandyport
location and have relocated to
Caves Village.
We will open 1st October, 2007
Our one day

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6th Octeber, 2007

50-75% of selected items
our numbers have
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327-1132
Come in and see.

The public is notified that it is an offence under the Telecommunications Act,
1999 for any person to establish, operate or use any radiocommunications
station or install, operate or use any radiocommunications apparatus unless
he is authorized to do so by a licence granted by the Public Utilities Commis-
sion (PUC) under section 30 of the Telecommunications Act.

Cordless telephone devices are radiocommunications apparatus, but
certain units that restrict service to a single set of premises, which are also
Part 15 Certified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the
United States, are authorized for use by the PUC under a Class Licence. All
other types of cordless telephone devices, including "Long Range
Cordless Telephones", are not authorized for use in The Bahamas. Addi-
tional information and technical details on authorized cordless telephone
devices may be found on the PUC's web site at www.PUCBahamas.gov.bs
or collected from the PUC's office in Nassau at 4th Terrace East, Collins
Avenue. The use of unauthorized cordless telephone devices causes
harmful Interference to essential national services that use radio
spectrum. The use of such devices constitutes an offence against the Act.

Operators and installers of unlicensed radiocommunications apparatus, as
well as the landlord of buildings where such devices are installed, may each
be fined ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in accordance with section 36 of the
Act. Violators can expect to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
The public is therefore invited, in the strictest confidence, to provide the
PUC with information concerning all such illegal activities by contacting the
PUC at tel 322-4437, fax 323-7288, e-mail puc@pucbahamas.gov.bs or
visiting the PUC's office at 4th Terrace East, Collins Avenue.

* By Bahamas Information
Services
WHAT happens in the first
seven years of a child's life is
"absolutely critical" to the
formation of the character,
capabilities and attitudes
throughout the rest of their
lives, making it imperative
that there is a focus on edu-
cational care before primary
school, Education Minister
Carl Bethel said.
"The thinking has changed
because so much is happen-
ing in the life of a child, even
before they ever enter prima-
ry school," Mr Bethel said.
"The importance of preschool
education has come to the
forefront."
Mr Bethel was speaking at
a town meeting on the Early
Childhood Care Act 2004, at
Stephen Dillett Primary
School. The event was part of
a series of town meetings on
the proposed standards and
regulations that will govern
the provisions of early child-
hood care.
Mr Bethel said the need for
wider consultation and the
benefit of further advice on
the 2004 Act made it neces-
sary to have such meetings
with the public and private
sector partners.
"There are still, in the Act,
some defects that we hope
now, in very short order, to
correct by way of amending
the legislation, which we will,
irt short order, move through
Parliament and will pass and
bring into law, at that point,"
he said.
"At that point, we will have
a further series of intense con-
sultations, with private sector
partners, in the provision of

ings. There is a need to bring
a standard of order, safety
and educational levels to all
of these facilities, he said.
"The time has now come
where we need to implement
(the initiatives)," Mr Bethel
said. "And the ministry, as is
shown here tonight, will con-
tinue to dialogue and work
with private sector daycare or
childcare providers.
"However, there will come
a time, in the not distant
future, when the law will be
brought into force and, once it
is brought into force, then the
regulations that are now
'broadly settled' will be
brought into force and the
standards that are now that
are 'broadly settled' will also
be implemented," he said.

Please use one registration form per full conference registrant. You may photocopy this form as necessary.
Please type or print legibly to insure accurate processing. For more information or assistance, please
contact Mrs. Yvonne Woods at the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism at (242) 323-5804 or
ywoods@bahamas.com, or Mrs. Lillisbelle Swann at the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism at (242) 302-2000 or
Iswann@bahamas.com.

REGISTRANT INFORMATION:

Name:

Title:

Organization:

Address:

P.O. BOX: "

Island/Country:

Telephone No.:

Fax No.:

Email Address:

PAYMENT INFORMATION:

* Bahamian Residents: $100.00 per day, Thursday and Friday (lunch and
dinner or Cultural Show included), or $50.00 per day, Saturday and Sunday.

pre-school education," he
added.
Since the mid-1990s, Mr
Bethel said, his ministry
added a preschool component
to many public primary
schools.
"That is because, since the
mid-1990s, the government
has appreciated the fact that
we could not only rely on the
private sector to provide
preschool education to the
broad majority of young
Bahamians," Mr Bethel said.
However, the government,
as .in_ all. things,, cannot do it
alone, he said, as there are
hundreds of unregistered pre-
school facilities throughout
The Bahamas, ranging from
informal facilities to elderly
persons to structured build-

.. ... ..... u M .^ V it ~ ''i~ii... ^ .

Ingraham calls for greater service

from public officers at church

PRIME MINISTER Hubert Ingraham and Minister of State for the Public Service Zhivalgo Laing with public
officers and members of the Ebenezer Methodist Church at the 8th Annual Public Seivice Week church ser-

THEIR EXCELLENCIES Sir Arthur Foulkes, Deputy to the Governor-General and Lady Foulkes worship at
the service

FROM page one
"In so doing, however, we
removed two words from the
daily lexicon of many who work
for the government. Those
words: civil and servant.
"Soon it appeared that too
many of those in the employ-
ment of the government were
neither civil nor servants of the
people. Then, as complaints of
poor, indifferent service
increased from the public, civil-
ity, it appears, became scarcer
among our public officers.
"And so today we find it
appropriate, perhaps better
said, necessary, to mark a week
of recognition of public officers
by choosing as our theme 'Pro-
moting Service in the Work-
place'," he said.
Mr Ingraham added: "It is
important to remember, how-
ever, that we also mark this
week by holding up for recog-
nition those of you who have
never forgotten that, as employ-
ees of the government. you are
charged not only to be civil -
that is respectful, considerate.
courteous and polite; you are
also mandated to provide ser;
vice that is to be helpful. co-
operative and accommodating
of your clients, the general pub-
lic.
"And, of course, to be all
these things all the time not
just on your 'good days' or
when your increment has been
paid or a raise has been granted.
It is right, therefore, that we
hold you up this week as sym-
bols of what all public officers
ought to be and what all must
strive to become loyal, dedi-
cated, hard-working and com-
mitted," he said.
The prime minister added his
personal congratulations and
those of the government and
the people of the Bahamas,
however, to those who were
selected as being worthy of
recognition.
"This is also an opportune
time for me to remind us all
that ours is designed to be an
independent and established
Public Service not a political
Civil Service. As such, the ser-
vice is an important check and
balance for our system of gov-
ernance.
"As the administrative arm
of the government, the Public
Service provides for the imple-
mentation of government policy
within the bounds of our Con-
stitution and our laws.
"Ministers cannot cause you
to do what is illegal. Those pub-
lic officers who best serve us -
and by us I mean our country -
are those who give unbiased
advice and who, in the execu-
tion of their duties, follow both

PRIME MINISTER Hubert Ingraham brings remarks at the church
service yesterday

the letter and the spirit ol our
law and established regulations.
"We have begun this week of
celebration in the House of Our
Lord. May ,'rr observance ot

i\ hat is good and productive in
the Public Service encourage
others to clulate you in the
performance of their duties in
the year al' I'e :id.

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production, called lobules, and the ducts that connect lobules to the nipple.
Breast cancer is by far the most common cancer that women will be diagnosed
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BAmerican 58
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F I N A N C I A

THE TRIBUNE

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2007, PAGE 11

* .III " s

,44

PAGE 12, MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2007

THEITRLNEBU

Election court

'rejected Maynard

Gibson application'

FROM page one
"The FNM remains confi-
dent that it will prevail in all
petitions and saw the last-
minute attempt by Mrs May-
nard-Gibson to amend her
petition as a recognition by
her that her present petition is
likely to fail," the party said.
The FNM says that in Mrs
Maynard-Gibson's election

petition, she claims that 266
persons who voted in
Pinewood did not live in the
constituency and was seeking
to have the court "throw out"
those votes.
The FNM is represented by
attorneys Michael Bamett and
Michael Scott and the PLP by
attorneys Philip "Brave"
Davis and Gail Lockhart-
Charles.

Government

investigates real

estate publication

FROM page one
The allegations have many
Bahamian realtors and adver-
tisers up in arms.
Concern has also been raised
about boxes seen around the
island containing booklets and
advertisements.
"Yes, there is a non-Bahami-
an soliciting (real estate) agents
for ad space," a Bahamian real-

tor told The Tribune. ie
"(The suspect) has
been in our offices
three times soliciting
business, and the
question to ask is:
Who has given per-
mission for these real
estate boxes to be
placed in this area,
does he have a per-
mit, and if he has, is
this not an avenue'
that was reserved THE RE
typically for Bahami- angered
ans?"
The Tribune dis-
covered several bins
filled with free publications
showcasing ads from high-end
real estate agencies. The pub-
lications lead readers to a web-
site showcasing Bahamian as
well as international real

I

AL estate publication whivh has
d many realtors and advertiser

estate.
Mr Foulkes acknowledged
that the claims were a "cause
for concern" and said govern-
ment investigations were con-
tinuing.

to 57
FROM page one
Mr Hanna told The Tribune
that Flying Squad officers, act-
ing on public information,
arrested three persons on Sat-
urday in connection with the
shootings.
Two males and one female
are in police custody for ques-
tioning and are expected to be
arraigned on related charges
this week.
At a press conference held at
police headquarters on East
Street last week, senior police
officers acknowledged the
prevalence of illegal firearms
on the streets of The Bahamas,
and the urgent need to seize
and trace weapons in an effort
to stem the rise in gun-related
murders.
"Our mission is to interdict,
seize, and trace illegal firearms
and ammunition and apprehend
all offenders," Inspector Cedric
Bullard of the Firearms Trac-
ing and Investigations Unit told
the media at the press confer-
ence.
According to police statistics,
about 55 per cent of 2007 mur-
ders were committed with a
firearm, with the 9mm pistol
being the most common gun
used.

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A ^:
* NMS;

TENDER NO. 643/07
Tender for the Provision of:
EXTENSION OF THE 33KV SYSTEM:
SOLDIER ROAD PARADISE ISLAND
SUB-STATION 'D' INTERCONNECTOR
NEW PROVIDENCE, BAHAMAS
The Bahamas Electncity Corporation invites proposal from
Qualified Companies to fulfill the requirements of The Corpo-
ration for the provision of labor, equipment, supplies and
materials and their use for the excavation, trenching of
roadways, laying of ducts and cables and reinstatement of
roadways and pavements in connection with a project for the
extension of the 33KV transmission system between Soldier
Road and Annstrong Street, in New Providence.
Proposals may be collected from Mrs. Delmeta Seymour
Administration Office, Blue Hill & Tucker Roads
Proposals are to be delivered to the BEC Executive Offices
on or before 4pm Monday, 15 October 2007,
and addressed to :
Kevin Basden,
General Manager
Executive offices
Bahamas Electricity Corporation
P 0 Box N-7509
Nassau, Bahamas
Marked: Tender No. 643/07
EXTENSION OF THE 33KV SYSTEM:
SOLDIER ROAD PARADISE ISLAND
SUB-STATION 'D' INTERCONNECTOR
NEW PROVIDENCE, BAHAMAS
BEC reserves the nght to accept or reject any or all proposals
For all inquiries regarding this Tender, contact Wayne
Farquharson at wefarquharson@bahamaselectriclty.com
SIVISITE STWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10TH
10 AM BEC ADMINISTRATION OFFICE

I

THE TRIBUNE

THE~~~~~~~~~_ TRBN ODY COBR1 07 AE1

LOC*ALNW

Castro says ex-Spanish prime minister

Aznar urged bombing of Serbian media

Cuban leader claims to

have transcript of

1999 conversation

with Bill Clinton

* HAVANA
FIDEL Castro on Sunday
accused former Spanish prime
minister Jose Maria Aznar of
urging Washington to bomb
Serbian radio and television sta-
tions during NATO's participa-
tion in the war in Kosovo,
according to Associated Press.
In a column published by offi-
cial newspapers, Castro quoted
extensive excerpts from what
he implied was a transcript of a
1999 conversation between
Aznar and US president Bill
Clinton.
Azrar was quoted as telling
Clinton, "If we're at war, let's
make it an all-out war... I don't
understand why we have not
yet bombed Serbian radio and
television."
Castro did not say how he
obtained the transcript. The ver-
sion he published contained
only Aznar's comments, none
by the person he was speaking
to. But he said he had "other
materials, both public and con-
fidential," which he would use
in future essays. .
Castro said he first niade the
accusation with far less detail
- in a Cuban television appear-
ance four years ago. At the
time, Cuba was angered by
Spanish criticism of its human
rights record.
Sunday's essay, titled
"Aznar's Silence" said that US
and Spanish authorities have
refused to comment On'the
accusation and he challenged

Aznar once again to confirm
the remarks.
In the transcript, Aznar was
quoted as mulling a ground war
if NATO bombing campaigns
didn't succeed, and saying, "All
of Serbia's lines of communica-
tion, its radio, television and
phones, must be put out."
"I ask Mr Aznar to say if it's
true or not that he advised pres-
ident Clinton on April 13, 1999
to bomb Serbian radio and tele-
vision," Castro wrote Sunday.
* It was the second time in the
month that an alleged version of
Aznar's conversations with US
leaders was published. The
Spanish newspaper El Pais car-
ried a transcript in which US
President George W Bush was
quoted as telling Aznar he
planned to invade Iraq with or
without UN approval. Castro
quoted lengthy portions of that
story in an essay published here
Friday.
Under the conservative
Aznar, Spain helped prompt a
decision by the European
Union to impose sanctions on
Cuba in 2003, after island
authorities detained 75 dissi-
dents accused of working with
the United States to undermine
Castro's government.

S'-MONTAGU

I MOTORS LIMITED

Share
your
news
The Tribune wants to hear
from people who are
making news in their
neighborhoods. Perhaps
you are raising funds for a
good cause, campaigning
for improvements in the
area or have won an
award.
If so, call us on 322-1986
and share your stoi. ':

I^* NVI al Ci >ty PM a r^ke I

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2007, PAGE 13,

THE TRIBUNE

PAGE 14. MONDAY. OCTOBER 1. 2007

THE TRIBUNE
p

Duvalier could face justice in

* NEW YORK
HAITI'S president said Fri-
day that former dictator Jean-
Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier
would have to face justice for
his regime's corruption and
abuses if he returns to the

Caribbean country from
exile, according to Associated
Press.
Duvalier, whose rule came
to an abrupt end in February
1986 when he fled during a
popular uprising, ended years
of silence over the weekend

ICIDU

Montrose Avenue &

with a Haitian radio address
in which lie apologised for
"wrongs" committed under his
rule.
He did not say whether he
would return to Haiti, but his
unexpected address came amid
a quiet campaign by some of his

hardcore supporters to bring
him back from in France.
President Rene Preval, who
earlier this week rejected Duva-
lier's apology, said he could not
prevent the former dictator
from returning because Haiti's
constitution prohibits the forced
exile of any citizen.
Asked if Duvalier would be
brought to trial, Preval said his
"dictatorship killed thousands
of people" and stole millions of
dollars.
"There is also the clamour of
the people... 1 think justice has
to have its say," Preval told a
news conference in New York,
where he was attending the UN
General Assembly.
Earlier this week, Preval said

his government was preparing a
case to recover $6.3 million in
Duvalier-linked Swiss bank
accounts. Many Haitians believe
the money was stolen from pub-
lic funds. Duvalier has denied
illegally taking money.
History
Named president for life at
19 following the death of his
father in 1971, "Baby Doc"
now reportedly supports him-
self with handouts from friends.
An estimated 60,000 people
were killed during the 29-year
father-and-son dictatorship,
while many others were
maimed by the dictatorship or

NOTICE TO ENGINEERS

PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS BOARD

The Bahamas Professional Engineers Registration Board is pleased to
advise that it is currently accepting applications from all persons who
wish to be registered as Professional Engineers in accordance with the
Professional Engineers Act, 2004. In this regard Application Forms,
Completion Instructions, and other pertinent registration documents
can be accessed and downloaded as necessary from the Board's website
at www.pebbahamas.com. Completed applications are to be remitted to
the Board's Registrar Mr. Carleton S. Blair, C. Eng., R. E., at the
address given under "contact information" on the website and to whom
all queries should be directed.

Carleton S. Blair, C. Eng., R. E.
Registrar BPEB
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.forced into exile.
Preval also said he saw no
reason to restore the Haitian
army that was disbanded in
1995 by Jean-Bertrand Aristide,
the president toppled in a 200
uprising. An 8,800-member UN
force has provided the only real!
security in the impoverished
Caribbean-nation since Aris-
tide's ouster.
In July, the government sai
it would study the creation of
security force to one day
replace the UN peacekeepers
and that a special commission
named by Preval would decide
whether it should take the form
of a reconstituted army or
supporting unit of Haiti's out.
gunned police.

* Reform options include switch to Title Registration System or move to Parcel-based Index from Name and Date Indexing
Main drawbacks to Title Registration system are maintenance costs, likely to be $20 per parcel, per year
Consultants urge Bahamas to make conveyancing documents more easily understood

* By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
Weaknesses
in the land
deeds
d e e d s
recording
system are
costing the private sector $230

million per year, government
consultants have estimated,
prompting recommendations
that the Bahamas move to
comprehensively reform the
Registry by either introducing
a Parcel-based Index system
or Title Registration system.
The reform options were

detailed at a sparsely-attend-
ed seminar staged by the
Department of Land and Sur-
veys and its consultants, Inter-
national Land Systems (ILS),
who said the Bahamas had
"got to the point where you
have to start thinking about
modernizing this and bringing

it up to the 21st century" (see
related stories on Page 3B).
Justin Holl, an ILS consul-
tant, said the current title
searching process was "time
consuming and expensive",
with many attorneys and other
conveyancing professionals
reluctant to give an unquali-

fied opinion as to whether a
purchaser had clear title to a
piece of Bahamian property
due to the state of Registry
records.
Outlining the reform options
available for the Bahamas, Mr
Holl said one was to "do noth-
ing", apart from "maybe clean-

ing up the statutory language"
used in title and conveyancing
documents to make them more
easily understood by ordinary
Bahamians.
Among the advantages of

SEE page 6

Baker's Bay development faces new judicial review challenge

* By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
OPPONENTS of the $175 million
Baker's Bay Golf & Ocean Club devel-
opment on Great Guana Cay have won
permission from the Supreme Court to
launch a second Judicial Review pro-
ceeding against the controversial pro-
ject, this time challenging whether var-
ious government ministers and agen-
cies had the power to grant specific per-
mits and approvals to the developers.
In the submissions to support its lat-

est application for a Judicial Review,
the Save Guana Cay Reef Association,
rather than challenge the Heads of
Agreement for the Baker's Bay pro-
ject, is now asking the courts to find
whether the Prime Minister, Town
Planning Committee and Commission-
er of the Police and other agencies had
the power and authority to grant to the
developers certain permits and

approvals.
Acting Supreme Court Justice Peter
Maynard gave the Association leave to
apply for Judicial Review on those
grounds last week on September 27,
2007.
The genesis for this change of tack by
the Association and its attorney, Fred
Smith, a partner in Callender's & Co,
appears to lie inisubfmissions allegedly

made by the developers, San Francisco-
based Discovery Land Company, and
their attorneys, Graham, Thompson &
Co, when they defeated the Associa-
tion's attempt to obtain an injunction
stopping work at Great Guana Cay.
The Association's injunction appli-

-SEE page 5

Fidelity: We need

$300m in assets

to be competitive

* By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
FIDELITY Bank
(Bahamas) needs to almost
double its asset base to $300
million, from the 2007 half-
year level of $168.441 million,
if it is to compete with its larg-
er commercial banking rivals,
its former chief financial officer
told The Tribune, with its now-
approved ability to;issue up to
$50 million in bonds a key part
of that strategy.
Michael Anderson, president

of Fidelity Merchant Bank &
Trust, which is acting as the
financial advisor and place-
ment agent for its affiliate's ini-
tial $15 million bond issuance,
said Fidelity Bank (Bahamas)
current asset base was not
enough to make it competitive
and fund its plans to expand
its branch network.
"We need to get the bank
up to $300 million," Mr Ander-
son told The Tribune. To

SEE page 7

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a By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
GOVERNMENT consultants have recommended that the
Bahamas end the practice of private conveyancing, where land
transaction documents are kept by private individuals and nev-
er lodged with the Registry's deeds recording system, a move that
would leave the public records as sole proof of title.
James Holl, of International Land Systems (ILS), which is
working with the Department of
Lands and Surveys on an Inter-
American Development Bank SEE page 4

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t was a moderate week
in the Bahamian mar-
ket as only 43,269
shares changed hands.
The market saw nine out of its
19 listed stocks trade, of which
five advanced, one declined
and three remained
unchanged.
Volume leader for a second
week was Colina Holdings
(CHL), with 20,949 shares
changing hands and account-
ing for 48 per cent of the total
shares traded.
Fidelity Bank (Bahamas)
(BAB) was the big advancer
for the week, increasing by
$0.40 or 23 per cent to close at
a new 52-week high of $2.14.
Also continuing with its
share price advance was Com-
monwealth Bank (CBL),
which was up by $0.20 or 2 per
cent to end the week at a new
52-week high of $16.20.
The FINDEX increased by
6.72 points or 0.78 per cent,
week-over-week to close at
865.07.

COMPANY NEWS

Fidelity Bank (Bahamas)
(BAB) BAB released its
financial results at June 30,
2007. Net income for the quar-
ter was $229,000 ($0.01 per
share), compared to $548,000
($0.03 per share) in the 2006
second quarter, a decline of
$318,000 or 15 per cent.
Year-to-date (YTD) net
income of $539,000 also
declined in comparison to the
comparative period's $1 mil-
lion.
General and administrative
(G&A) expenses increased by
$563,000 for the quarter and
$511,000 year-to-date in com-
parison to prior periods.
The higher G&A costs relat-
ed to the continued promotion
by the Bank of its products

CBL has declared dividends of $0.12 per share, payable on
September 28, 2007, to all shareholders of record date Sep-
tember 14, 2007.
CAB has declared dividends of $0.06 per share, payable
on September 28, 2007, to all shareholders of record date
September 21, 2007.
BOB has declared dividends of $0.16 per share, payable
on October 8, 2007, to all shareholders of record date Octo-
ber 1, 2007.

during the period.
Customer deposits stood at
$134 million, an increase of
$20.3 million, giving the bank
that ability to extend addition-
al mortgages and consumer
loans, which were also up by
$5.8 million from year-end.
The bank recently
announced plans to issue a pri-
vate bond offering to assist in
further expansion of its busi-
ness.

J.S. Johnson & Company
(JSJ) JSJ's quarterly results
at June 30, 2007, showed net
income of $2.2 million ($0.27
per share) for equity holders,
an increase of $359,000 over
the 2006 second quarter.
Profits from JSJ'Js agency
business of $1.8 million
accounted for 70 per cent of
the net income in the quarter,
while the insurance business
comprised the remaining 30
per cent.
Net commissions and fees,
and net premiums, increased
in the quarter by $419,000 and
$63,000 respectively.
Expenses related to the
insurance business saw the
biggest increase in the quarter
of $195,000.
Year-to-date, total net
income for JSJ equity holders
was $3.7 million ($0.46 per
share), an increase of $1 mil-
lion year-over-year.
Total assets of $75.5 million
and liabilities of $59.5 million
declined from the previous
year-end, by $2.1 million and
$3.8 million respectively.

Operating cash flows remain
positive, even though such cash
flows declined by $2 million
from the amount reported in
the comparative period.

Finance Corporation of the
Bahamas (FIN) FIN report-
ed net income for the period
ended July 31, 2007, of $15.2
million ($0.57 per share), a
decline of $306,000 from the
amount of $15.5 million ($0.58
per share) reported in the cor-
responding period last year.
Net interest income for the
period was consistent with the
previous year, only declining
by $68,000. However, there
was some growth in fees and
commissions income, which
increased by $234,000.
Total non-interest expenses
were higher by $473,000,
totalling $8.2 million. FINCO's
management has indicated that
demand for mortgages remain
high, but interest margins were
compressed due to contracting
spreads.
Total assets at July 31, 2007,
of $700.9 million increased by
$53.1 million from year-end,
due to increased loans ($36.8
million) and higher invest-
ments ($12.1 million) at the
end of the period.
Also, as a result of higher
customer deposits, ($41.4 mil-
lion) and dividends payable
($8.8 million), FIN'stotal lia-
bilities increased by $49.7 mil-
lion from its year end.
Operating cash flows
remained positive, totalling
$18.4 million for nine months.

__ __

PAGE 2B, MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2007

THE TRIBUNE

Electd Bes Loca

PrvteBn

Minister backs parcel

land registration reform

* By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor

of lands and local
government, said he
personally favours
moving the Bahamas to a sys-
tem where land title deeds are
registered and indexed accord-
ing to parcel, rather than by
name, as he acknowledged that
this nation has an "imperfect
system" for Quieting Titles.
Addressing a seminar on
proposed reforms to the way
land title deeds were record-
ed and documented, the'
options including moving to a
parcel-based indexing system
or a Title Registration system,
Mr Collie said the Inter-Amer-
ican Development (IDB) Bank
funded project on land use pol-
icy and administration in the
Bahamas "has brought to the
attention of the Government
and practitioners in con-
veyancing and real estate an
alternative way of proving title
with.a system that has integri-
ty".
Indicating that all profes-
sionals knew of the problems
in trying to give an unqualified
opinion on real estate title, Mr
Collie added: "We are trying to
move from a system that relies

Quieting Titles Act 'imperfect',

while the Registrar General's

Department 'has its problems'

on back documents, original
documents for a chain of title
that goes back to maybe the
past 30 years, maybe the past
100 years.
"We have an imperfect sys-
tem of Quieting Titles. We
have a Registrar General's
Department that has its prob-
lems.." Mr Collie added that
it was also tedious to go
through the index and cause
lists at the Supreme Court, and

even after all this work had
been done, it was often impos-
sible to give an unqualified
opinion on title.
Those who did, he said,
might give such opinions "only
to find 10 years later your
unqualified opinion has a lot
of holes which you did not
know about".
Briefly examining the reform
options, Mr Collie questioned
that if the Bahamas opted to
go down the Title Registration
system route, the one involving
the most comprehensive
change, what would happen to
"a whole industry of support
services that has sprung up,
like title searchers?"
"These are matters the Gov-
ernment, dealing with overall
policy, must take into account
as it impacts its citizens," Mr
Collie said.
"I favour land registration
by parcels, rather than index-
ing by name."

Attorneys urge greater

government co-operation

on owed property taxes

* By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
BAHAMIAN attorneys
urged government depart-
ments to co-operate more
closely together to clamp down
on real property tax and other
real estate-based tax evasion,
warning that non-payment of
taxes has caused problems in
closing conyeyancing transac-
tions.
Raquel Miller, an associate
with Lennox Paton, pointed
out that unpaid real property
taxes acted as a first charge
over property.
She cited an example of a
formerly unused lot, upon
which a $1 million home was
subsequently built, yet no dec-
laration was made to the real
property tax department that
the real estate in question had
increased in value as a result of
the home's construction. As a
result, the vendor was able to
avoid paying the real property
tax due when the home was
subsequently sold.
Ms Miller said: "There's no
inter-departmental relationship
between the Ministry of
Works, which issued the occu-
pancy certificate for the home,

and the valuation department."
She also cited instances
where there had been acci-
dental erroneous declarations
of the amount of real property
tax owed by a vendor. Some-
times, they had sold the home
and departed after paying what
they thought was the amount
of outstanding real property
tax owed to government, only
for the valuation department
to inform the new homeowner
that a higher amount had been
due.
This left the purchaser
exposed, unless the vendor
could be tracked down, some-
thing that was not always easy.
"I think the Government
needs to be more proactive in
collecting back taxes, because
it is a problem," Ms Miller said.
Andrew O'Brien, an attor-
ney and partner with Glinton,
Sweeting and O'Brien, said
further problems relating to
the Quieting of Titles had been

created by a change at the
Supreme Court.
Previously, there had been
a separate index containing all
live Quieting Titles actions at
the Supreme Court that attor-
neys could check to see if any
land involved in transactions
they were working on was
affected by such a dispute.
Yet under the PLP admin-
istration, all Quieting Titles
actions had been consolidated
with all other Supreme Court
actions, making such research-
es extremely difficult.
"We desperately need a con-
solidated Quieting index." Mr
O'Brien said.

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(IDB) funded project to
enhance land administration
and policy in the Bahamas,

said "not all valid records in
the Bahamas" that relate to
conveyancing and land trans-
actions are lodged with the
Registry.
This makes it extremely dif-
ficult, he indicated, for attor-
neys, title searchers and other
professionals to construct
backwards, using the naming
and date index, chains of title
to confirm for potential pur-
chasers that they have clean
title to their property.
If conveyancing documents
are in private hands, and have
never been lodged with the
public Registry, this task is
made extremely difficult and
often causes a break in the title
chain something that will
cause a residential or com-
mercial real estate purchase to
collapse.
Attorneys and other profes-
sionals, in addition to searching
the Registrar General's
Department's Registry, also
have to search the Supreme
Court Records and assess-
ments and charges made on
land to determine whether title
is clean, Mr Holl said.
"1 would suggest that there
be consideration given to mak-
ing the record proof of title."
Mr Holl said. "The public
records themselves are the

proof of title, and this would
do away with the passing down
of old, crumbling documents
"I would suggest the prac-
tice of private conveyancing
has outlived its usefulness.
There could be a consolidation
of records to make the exami-
nation of title more convenient
in the Bahamas.
"There are areas the
Bahamas could look at to
make the public records more
convenient for conveyancing
and real estate practitioners.
Many of the things you find in
the Bahamas you see in other
systems, but the point is that
you've got to the point where
you have to start thinking
about modernizing this and
bringing it up to 21st century
standards."
Mr Holl also urged the
Bahamas to reform the Reg-
istration of Records Act. as this
had "weak priority and notice
provisions" and "does not have
a solid, robust provision that
gives protection to title hold-
ers". People, he added, needed
more protection and security.
The Government needed to
conduct a "comprehensive out-
reach policy" to the Bahamian
people on land issues, Mr Holl
said. as "people are just con-
fused, and not just about com-

monage and generational land.
They just don't know enough;"
A series of Town Meetings is
being planned on the subject,
and Mr Holl said it was a "very
opportune time" for the
Bahamas to be focusing on
land issues. He pointed out
that in Canada, Australia and
parts of the US, they were now
using e-conveyancing, where
land transaction documents
were completed online and, in
some cases, took just 11 sec-
onds to be filed and recorded
with a Land Registry.
ILS and the Department of
Lands and Surveys are also
working on developing a Par-
cel Information Management
System (PIMS) to map land
and land use in the Bahamas,
bringing together information
held by a variety of different
government agencies so that
PIMS becomes the "sole
source of property information
in the Bahamas".
Different government agen-
cies, such as the real property
tax department, the Registrar
General's Department,
Department of Physical Plan-
ning, Department of Land and
Surveys, and the Grand
Bahama Port Authority, would
be able to connect with PIMS
via an Internet interface.

Share

your
news
The Tribune wants to hear
from people who are
making news in their
neighborhoods. Perhaps
you are raising funds for a
good cause, campaigning
for improvements in the
area or have won an
-award.
If so, call us on 322-1986
and share your story.

I I El

Financial Intelligence Unit

NATIONAL STRATEGY ON
PREVENTION OF MONEY
LAUNDERING &
TERRORISM FINANCING

The Financial Intelligence Unit ("the FIU"), in collaboration with
several other government departments and regulators for the financial
services in The Bahamas, is working on the development of a National
Strategy for the Prevention of Money Laundering and the
Financing of Terrorism (the "Strategy") in and through the financial
system of The Bahamas.
Input from the general public, and stakeholders in the financial
services industry, is critical to the success of this project. A detailed
survey, designed to facilitate collection of the requisite information
from both the public and private sector, is currently underway.

In an effort to further educate all stakeholders on the Strategy, the
FIU will be holding a seminar on 15'h October 2007, at the British
Colonial Hilton Hotel, Bay Street, Nassau, Bahamas, from 8:30
a.m. to 12 Noon.

Admission is free, however, seating is limited to one person per
organization. Those organizations wishing to attend this seminar
should provide the FIU, by 5th October 2007, at the latest, with the
names of their designated representatives, by calling or forwarding
same to the following address:

cation was refused by the
Court of Appeal in mid-May
2007 when it heard its appeal
on the first Judicial Review
challenge to the Heads of
Agreement.
A judgment in that case is
still pending, but according to
an affidavit by Troy Albury,
an Association member, the
developers "represented to the
Court of Appeal that they had
not and were not relying on
the Heads of Agreement as
authority to engage in any
development works or to occu-
py and or conduct any works
on the Treasury and/or Crown
Lands, as they had obtained
all of the permits and
approvals that they lawfully
required in order to be in pos-
session of the Crown and Trea-
sury Lands and to carry out
the works that they were and
are undertaking at the Devel-
opment site.
"Accordingly, they main-
tained, even if the Court of
Appeal found for the Appli-
cants on the Appeal they were
still entitled to proceed based
upon the permits which they
had received. Although the
permits were not produced to
the Court of Appeal the Court
of Appeal relied upon the rep-
resentation counsel and dis-
missed the motion for the
injunction on the basis of that

representation and delay."
Mr Albury alleged that the
developers then gave an under-
taking to provide copies of all
the permits and approvals they
had received to the Associa-
tion, which they did via an affi-
davit filed by Randol Dorsett,
an attorney with Graham,
Thompson & Co, that was filed
on May 30, 2007.
Information
The Association's submis-
sions said the information
passed to them revealed that
on May 31, 2005, the Port
Administrator had given the
Baker's Bay developers per-
mission to place eight artificial
reef structures in the sea bed.
This was allegedly followed
on November, 7, 2005, by the
Office of the Prime Minister
giving permission for the
developers to "proceed with
the use of Treasury Land for
the storage of dredged materi-
als".
A year later, on November
30, 2006. the Prime Minister's
office told the developers that
they had been granted
approval for five leases the
Crown Land conditional pur-
chase, Crown Marine Lease,
Crown Preserve Lease, Trea-
sury Lease and Treasury Stag-
ing Area Lease.
The Town Planning Com-
mittee approved the develop-
ers' land use plan for the resi-

dential and club membership
on June 21, 2005, with subdivi-
sion approvals also provided,
the Association alleging that
the Town Planning Commit-
tee extended its original one-
year approval for a further
year on July 4, 2006.
Other approvals given to the
developers, the Association
alleged, were subdivision road
construction permits from the
Ministry of Works, on condi-
tions that no building permits
be granted until infrastructure
work was completed. The
Water & Sewerage Corpora-
tion approved the project's
construction of a waste water
treatment plant and wells at
Guana Cay, too.
In its latest Judicial Review
application, the Association is
seeking declarations that the
Prime Minister had no author-
ity to give the developers
approval to use the Treasury
land or issue two leases of
Treasury land.
In his affidavit, Mr Albury
alleged that Crown Land could
only be sold or leased by the
minister responsible for Crown
Lands, while Treasury land
licences or leases, under the
Ministry of Finance Act, could
only be granted by the Trea-
surer with the Minister of
Finance's approval or another
minister to whom the treasurer
had delegated this power. Any
lease exceeding three years
had to be approved by the

^^^[PI-?BiTrjiuni1tjes

Aleadinc1g omeapisa l oi

distr t iesual y quaI l ified applicant sto

1. ASSISTANT WAREHOUSE SUPERVISOR
Must be competent and experienced in
warehousing and deliveries.

2. APPLIANCE REPAIR TECHNICIANS
Must be competent, experienced and able
to work without direct supervision.

Please send resume along with first 4 pages of passport,
a police character certificate, and copies of
Scertification(s) achieved from reputable institutions) to:

Human Resources Manager
PO. Box N7220
Nassau, Bahamas.

Deadline for receipt of applications is October 8th, 2007.

Governor-General.
In addition, the Association
is also asking the courts to rule
that the Town Planning Com-
mittee had no authority to
grant the permits it had issued,
Mr Albury again alleging that
town planning, construction

and building permits were the
responsibility of the relevant
local government authority -
in this case the Hope Town
District Council rather than
central government in Nassau.
If the courts find this is so,
the Association is then asking

them to quash all the permits
and approvals issued by these
agencies, and then require
them to fully consult with
Great Guana Cay residents
and members of the public if
they wanted to attempt to re-
issue those permits.

Residential real estate developer is seeking a guest relations coordinator. This
person will meet and greet prospective buyers and will assist the sales team. The
successful candidate will possess the following experience and qualifications:

this approach, he explained,
was that the well-known pre-
sent system, with its under-
stood responsibilities and lia-
bilities, would be maintained.
The Bahamas would also
avoid the need for any legisla-
tive changes. Yet maintaining
the status quo where the deeds
recording system was con-
cerned, Mr Holl said, would
continue to cost the Bahamian
private sector attorneys who
specialize in conveyancing, plus
realtors, title searchers and
their clients some $230 mil-
lion per year.
Mr Holl added: "One of my
colleagues estimated that right
now, the costs to the private
sector are $230 million a year.
I've not analysed that in
detail."
Even if the Bahamas kept
the present deeds recording

system, Mr Holl suggested that
it should at least move away
from a process that, in the first
instance, used name indexing
and the names of persons
involved in real estate trans-
actions to find the relevant
documents. The existing
process also uses dates, and the
chronological order in which
deeds were filed, to help title
searchers and attorneys find
documents.
Mr Holl said that instead,
one option open to the
Bahamas was to move to a
land parcels indexing system, a
move that would complement
another aspect of the
ILS/Department of Land and
Surveys project, which was to
introduce a Parcel Information
Management System (PIMS)
as a comprehensive land man-
agement tool to map land
parcels on most Bahamian
islands.
"The one thing that needs
to be [looked at] is how index-
ing is done in the Bahamas,"

FirstCaribbean International Bank (Bahamas) Ltd
is seeking the services of a Professional Security
Services Company to Provide Security Guard
Services to its Business Units, located on the island
of New Providence (Nassau).

Interested Firms may collect a Proposal Package/
Document from the Receptionist Desk at First
Caribbean International Bank, Located on East West
Highway, the Solomon's Complex, During the hours
of 9:00am 3:00pm Tuesday through Thursday,
October 2 5, 2007, and Monday October 8 through
Wednesday, October 10, 2007.

All completed Proposals and supporting
documentation must be placed in a sealed envelope
and submitted to FirstCaribbean International bank
by 4:00pm on Tuesday, November 6, 2007. Envelope
should be marked "Proposal for Security Guard
Services" and delivered to the attention of:

Mr Holl said. "Name indexing
is tedious, but parcel indexing
is a beautiful thing.
If you slick witt the present
deeds lodging system, a par-
cel-based indexing system
would be in the best interests
of the Bahamas."
Option
The third and final option,
Mr Holl added, was for the
Bahamas to adopt wholesale
reform by scrapping the deeds
recording system and switch-
ing to a Title Registration Sys-
tem. This would ultimately
involve bona fide Bahamian
property and title owners being
issued with a Certificate of
Title that disclosed and con-
tained all information on their
property, including encum-
brances such as mortgages and
easements.
Mr Holl explained that the
advantage of such a system was
that it provided more certainty
for property owners and title
holders than the present sys-
tem, increasing security of
tenure.
The downside, though, was
that it would require changes
in Bahamian statutory law and
be far more expensive for the
Government to.operate and
maintain. The costs and admin-
istrative burden, Mr Holl
explained, would have to be
borne by the Government.
which would in turn have to
hire highly-trained attorneys
and conveyancing specialists
to run it.
To mitigate the cost burden
from any system transition, Mr
Holl said the Bahamas could
choose whether to introduce a
Title Registration system "sys-

tcmatically or sporadically".
-The first approach would
involve a relatively rapid
process, while the second
would allow the Bahamas to
make the transition over a rel-
atively long period of time.
To illustrate the Title Regis-
tration system costs, Mr Holl
said Thailand had spent $350
million over 15 years on a "sys-
tematic" conversion to this
approach, while the Ukraine
had committed $166 million
over five years.
"The downside is the
expense of moving from one
to the other and then main-
taining it," Mr Holl added.
On the maintenance side, he
said the World Bank had esti-
mated that it cost $20 per par-
cel, per year to maintain a Par-
cel-based Indexing system.
With some 60,000-70,000
parcels of land in New Provi-
dence and Grand Bahama
alone, it would cost the Gov-
ernment at least $1.5 million
per year to maintain a Title
Registration system for those
islands alone, based on the
World Bank estimate.
The response from the real-
tors, attorneys and title
searchers attending the meet-
ing was generally positive,
most realizing that some kind
of reform was essential. Larry
Roberts, the Bahamas Real
Estate Association's (BREA)
president and a realtor with
Bahamas Realty, asked sim-
ply: "When will this begin?"
Despite being a widely dis-
persed nation of more than 700
islands, the Bahamas has a rel-
atively finite supply of land.
This makes land ownership,
and all the issues surrounding
it, key for Bahamians and busi-

PUBLIC NOTICE
INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL
The Public is hereby advised that I, GERTRUDE AGNES
MONIQUE FEUZ of Ruby Avenue, Cable Beach, P.O.
Box CB-13326, Nassau, Bahamas intend to change my name
to OLAYINKA ADDO, i there are any objections to this
change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections
to the Chief Passport Officer, P.O.Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas
no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this
notice.

RII

nesses, with clear title to prop-
erty ownership and security of
tenure essential for a variety
of reasons.
Their home is often the
biggest investment.a Bahamian
family will make in their life-
time, meaning clear title to
their property is essential. For
both homeowners and busi-
nesses, establishing security of
ownership rights is also key to
accessing mortgages and other
forms of debt financing that
could be key for commercial
and family reasons.
Yet as Mr Holl pointed put,
attorneys, title specialists and
other conveyancing specialists
are "reluctant to give unquali-
fied title opinions" due to the
state of Registry records, with
transaction documents often
missing, incomplete, out or
chronological order or not
lodged in the public records.
Meeting
He recalled attending one
Town Meeting where a woman
said her grandmother had
owned two parcels of land, and
while a search of Registry
records located one, there was
no documentation at all on the
other.
"In some areas, there is no
document," he added. "Some
parcels have never had a doc-
ument lodged for those parcels
in the real estate records. No
documents or incomplete doc-
uments are a problem."
The Inter-American Devel-
opment Bank (IDB), which is
responsible for financing the
bulk of the Department of
Lands and Surveys/ILS pro-
ject, said in a 2004 document
that more than 15 per cent of

all land parcels in the Bahamas
were the subject of ownership
disputes, and the problems
with the Registry records were
cited as one factor behind this.
Mr Holl added that those
professionals dealing with title
searches required vendors,
lessors or mortgagors to pro-
vide them with copies of the
original conveyancing docu-
ments, which was "quite anti-
quated".
The end result is that the sys-
tem's inefficiencies extend the
time taken to complete title
searches and, in turn, close real
estate transactions, to an aver-
age of nine months due to the
need for attorneys and others
to establish a chain of title
going back 30 years. This also
increases real estate transac-
tion costs, as attorneys charge
clients higher fees to conduct
long, complex title searches.
Mr Holl said the Registry,
located at the Registrar Gen-
eral's Department, currently
did not have to assess deed
documents to assess whether
they were what they purported
to be. In addition, the deed
documents were "incompre-
hensible to the average per-
son" and "impossible for non-
specialists to use".
"I would suggest that one of
the things the Bahamas con-
sider is taking the next step
and making the documents
even simpler," he added.
With title chains having to
be "constructed all the steps
up", and researchers then
needing to check dates to see if
the relevant property was con-
veyed during the period the
grantor possessed it, Mr Holl
said such searches were "very,
very difficult".

"In order to stay abreast
of what's happening in
the local economy, we
turn to The Tribune as
our source of information.
The Tribune is y
newspaper."

TROY SAMPSON
APPROVED LENDING SERVICES

READ THE

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SECTION
MONDAY TO FRIDAY

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flt, v 4 Wptfm cdV

NOTICE
Ref: LOUISA CAROLINA COLLETON
Do you have any old documents or letters in which the
Colleton Family are mentioned or know of anyone who
might? The family were Lord Proprietors of the Islands of
the Bahamas from 1668 until the Islands were.sold backto
the Crown in 1787.

In particular do you have any documents or letters or
information in connection with "Louisa Carolina
Colleton", later Louisa Carolina Graves, wife of Rear
Admiral Richard Graves who visited Nassau in August
of 1785?

Also do you have any documents or information pertaining
to the Lords Proprietors, especially in the years 1725 to
1730?

If so it would be greatly appreciated if you would please
contact Metta MacMillan-Hughes on (242) 502-5000.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE BAHAMAS
IN THE SUPREME COURT
Probate Side

IN THE ESTATE OF EDITH
ROSELYN BARRY also known as
ROSE MARY BARRY, late of The
Settlement of The Bluff, Eleuthera,
Bahamas, deceased.

Notice is hereby given that all persons having
any claim or demand against the above Estate are
required to send the same duly certified in writing to
the undersigned on or before the 14' November, 2007
after which date the Executors will proceed to
distribute the assets having regard only to the claims
of which they shall then have had notice.

maintain its efficiency ratio
amid plans to issue new prod-
ucts and expand the branch
network, with two locations
already earmarked for the
Robin Hood store on Tonique
Williams-Darling Highway and
Carmichael Road in the next
year, he added that Fidelity
Bank (Bahamas) needed "a
certain amount of assets to
cover the cost of adding new
branches".
"We need to grow our assets
to fund expansion. This is what
we've committed to doing over
the next couple of years to
grow our asset base and infra-
structure of the bank so we can
adequately compete in this
marketplace," Mr Anderson
said.
"We're hopeful the market
will see to some extent what
we're doing, and as we raise
funds and deploy them, we will
create value for our investors."
The Tribune first revealed
that Fidelity Bank (Bahamas),
which is listed on the Bahamas
International Securities
Exchange (BISX) and is 75 per
cent owned by its parent,
Fidelity Bank & Trust Inter-
national, was attempting to
raise capital through a two-
tranche bond issue.
The bank commenced the
initial offering of $15 million
on Friday with two trenches,
$5 million in redeemable Series
A bonds that carry a fixed 7
per cent interest rate and will
mature in 2017, and $10 mil-
lion in Series B bonds that con-
sist of redeemable floating rate
notes priced at Bahamian
Prime + 1.75 per cent and
mature in 2022.
The issue closes on October
19.007; and is a private place-
ment being offered only to
institutional investors and high

net worth individuals. The
notes will be offered in mini-
mum amounts of $100,000.
Fidelity Bank (Bahamas)
obtained Central Bank of the
Bahamas approval to issue up
to $50 million in bonds to fund
anticipated growth, with Mr
Anderson describing the bonds
as a security the institution can
issue to the market "as and
when needed" to strengthen
its capital base when loan
demand outstrips deposit
growth.
"It provides some flexibility
for the bank in having a secu-
rity that is ready to sell and
offer as and when needed,
rather than go out with a new
product every time," Mr
Anderson added.
Growth
"We've seen some signifi-
cant growth in the bank's loan
book." He explained that the
launch of the bank's Money-
Back Mortgage, coupled with
Visa debit cards and credit
cards, a zero per cent down lot
loan and estate planning, had
fuelled demand for Fidelity
Bank (Bahamas) products, and
further product launches were
likely to see credit demand
exceed deposit growth.
In his presentation to
investors at the bank's annual
general meeting (AGM) last
week, Gregory Bethel, Fideli-
ty Bank (Bahamas) president,
said its total assets had reached
close to $180 million in Sep-
tember 2007. some 20 per cent
higher than at year-end 2006,
with loans having increased by
14 per cent since that time.
For the year to end-August
2007, Fidelity Bank (Bahamas)
saw new loan commitments
made total $40 million, com-
Spared to $24 million for the
2006 comparative period: an
increase of 67 per cent.

That bank's loan mix was 83
per cent real estate and 17 per
cent personal loans, and Mr
Bethel said Fidelity Bank
(Bahamas) wanted to change
this mix to 75 per cent real
estate/25 per cent personal
loans over the next two to
three years. The bank is tar-
geting this because personal
loans are higher yielding,
attracting higher interest rates
and margins for Fidelity
because they are higher risk.
Mr Bethel said Fidelity Bank
(Bahamas) planned to offer
passbook savings accounts and
debit cards under its Money-
Centre brand, while its Visa
credit cards would be ready for
launch before the end of 2007.
The Fidelity Bank
(Bahamas) president added
that the bank aimed to launch
a family of 'iSeries' cards to
give back a portion of the
interest paid, but warned that
2007's financial performance
would be impacted by higher
marketing costs associated with
new product launches, the
addition of new branches, staff
training and higher interest
rates paid on deposits.
That was reflected in Fideli-
ty Bank (Bahamas) 2007 half-
year results, with salary and
staff benefits up 12.2 per cent
at $2.17 million against 2006
comparatives, and general and
administrative expenses up 32
per cent at $2.128 million.
Mr Anderson said: "The
bank has really taken the view
that the longer-term success of
the bank is really going to be
dependent on growing our
asset base. We're sacrificing
short-term profits for sustain-
able long-term growth. There's
a period of time where we're
going to be investing for
growth."
Meanwhile, Mr Anderson
said he felt Fidelity Bank
(Bahamas) $15 million issue

it

It

Y

A leading hotel invites qualified
persons in the above mentioned
field to apply for the position of
Chief Engineer.

The successful candidate must
possess the following:

- A Engineering Degree or a
minimum of 5 years experience
as a Chief Engineer, or
Assistant Chief Engineer in a
major hotel

Applicants with supporting
documents also including a clean
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Competitive salary and benefits
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Applicants for Chief Engineer
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O. Box N- 3207
assau, Bahamas

was "very competitively
priced", pointing out that the 7
per cent fixed and Prime plus
1.75 per cent rates compared
well to the likes of Bank of the
Bahamas International's 7.5
per cent mortgage-backed
securities, which were issued
late in 2006 amid the liquidity
crunch.
Such conditions did not
apply now, Mr Anderson said,
adding: "There has been no
security offering for a while.
We believe the market will
have an interest in the security
Sat this price."
He described the 7 per cent
fixed rate note "effectively as a

hedge", given the widely held
perception that interest rates
tended to go up, not down,
over time.
This insulated investors if
interest rates fell, Mr Ander-
son said, as well as providing
them with certainty, especially
if they needed to earn a cer-
tain amount of money in a giv-
en time period.
"I'd imagine people would
pick up both," he said of the
two trenches.
Analysts spoken to by The
Tribune have questioned why
Fidelity Bank (Bahamas)
needs to go out and pitch to
the market again for capital

when it raised $15 million
through an equity rights offer-
ing a year ago.
Mr Anderson, though, point-
ed out that the objectives were
different. He said some $10
million of the $15 million rights
issue proceeds were used to
redeem preference shares and
remove the higher interest paid
on them, with the conversion
of these shares into ordinary
share or equity bolstering the
bank's Tier 1 capital base.
The $15 million note issue,
though, was purely a funding
mechanism designed to finance
Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) loan
book growth.

Residential real estate developer is seeking a guest relations coordinator. This
person will meet and greet prospective buyers and will assist the sales team. The
successful candidate will possess the following experience and qualifications:

Applications are invited from suitably qualified persons for the post of Legal Counsel at the
Financial Intelligence Unit (the "FIU").
JOB SUMMARY:
The holder of the position will be responsible for the provision of legal advice to the Director
and the Financial Intelligence Unit relative to its functions under the Financial Intelligence
Unit Act 2000.
RESPONSIBLE TO:
The Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit.
QUALIFICATIONS:
The successful applicant must:
1. Be appointed in writing by the Minister responsible for the administration of the
Financial Intelligence Unit Act 2000.
2. Be a Counsel and Attorney-At-Law in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, called to
The Bahamas Bar with 5 years of legal or relevant experience.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Responsible for ensuring that the Financial Intelligence Unit is kept abreast of legislative
developments relative to its functions.
2. Responsible for making recommendations to the Director relative to the legal issues
affecting the Financial Intelligence Unit.
3. Responsible for liaison between the Financial Intelligence Unit and the Office of the
Attorney General relative to legal issues affecting the Financial Intelligence Unit.
4. Responsible for the provision of training of industry participants in the Financial
Services Sector in accordance with the provisions of the Financial Intelligence Unit
Act 2000.
5. Responsible for drafting of legal documents for Memoranda of Understanding between
the Financial Intelligence Unit and foreign Financial Intelligence Units.
6. Responsible for assisting with other duties relative to the proper functioning of the
Financial Intelligence Unit as required by the Director.
KNOWLEDGE. SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:
1. Five years call to The Bahamas Bar
2. Experience in Compliance, Civil, Criminal & Corporate Law, Assets Tracing and
Forfeiture.
3. Excellent attitude, punctuality and attendance.
REMUNERATION PACKAGE:
1. Competitive salary commensurate with experience
2. 15% gratuity upon successful completion of contract.
Interested persons should submit their applications and resumes in writing along with the'
relevant certificates, on or before 11" October 2007, to:
Anthony M. Johnson
Director
Financial Intelligence Unit
P.O. Box SB 50086
Frederick Street
Nassau, Bahamas

BUSINESS

US credit squeeze may

hit government's

$90

stamp tax target

0 By CARA BRENNEN-
BETHEL Attractive prices may cause US second
Tribune Business
Reporter
A DOTRNintheUnit-buyers to switch from Bahamas to I
ed States housing market could
have a potentially negative
impact on the Bahamian econ- Senator has warned, housing market downturn and persons who were probably "Many of these properties are 1
omy, particularly if more Amer- Michael Halkitis said that 'sub-prime'mortgage'crisis were unqualified had been approved luxury-end condos in Florida t
icans choose to purchase sec-. while it would take at least six felt in the Bahamas, already for mortgages, and were now which are now being sold at t
ond homes in the US rather months before the full implica- some impact was happening finding it difficult to keep meet- good prices, and you may have w
than in the Caribbean, a PLP tions of the US credit squeeze, with investors in Bahamas- ing payments on their proper- a situation where persons e

NOTICE is hereby given that the Creditors of the
above-named Company are required, on or before the
31st October, 2007 to send their names and addresses,
with particulars of their debts or claims, and the names
and addresses of their Attorneys (if any), to Gregory
Wettersten of Global Capital Partners, L.P., 100 Drakes
Landing Road, Suite 125, Greenbrae, CA 94904,
Liquidator, co FT Consultants Ltd., P.O. Box N-
3932, Nassau, Bahamas.

Dated 1st day of October, 2007

Gregory Wettersten
Liquidator

based condo and second home
projects, such as the Chub Cay
Club, reporting that real estate
sales were slower than antici-
pated.
Mr Halkitis said that in the
past several years, many US

ties.
Therefore, more properties
were being foreclosed on and
put up for sale, he said during
an address to the Bahamas
Institute of Chartered Accoun-
tants (BICA).

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE

BANCO POPULAR
INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
(In Voluntary Liquidation)

Notice is hereby given that the above-named Company
is in dissolution, commencing the 6th day of November,
2006 and Craig A. (Tony) Gomez, of Baker Tilly
Gomez, The Deanery, No. 28 Cumberland Street, P.O.
Box N-1991, Nassau, Bahamas is appointed the
Liquidator of the said Company.
Dated this 1st day October, 2007

CRAIG A. TONYY) GOMEZ ,
Liquidator

Legal Notice
NOTICE

CAPELLES LIMITED
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows:
(a) CAPELLES LIMITED is in voluntary dissolution
under the provisions of Section 137(4) of the
International Business Companies Act 2000.
(b) The dissolution of the said company commenced on
the 27TH September, 2007 when the Articles of
Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the
Registrar General.
(c) The Liquidator of the said company is Verduro
Associated Ltd. of Pasea Estate, Road Town,
Tortola BVI

Dated this 1st day of October, A.D. 2007

Verduro Associated Ltd.
Liquidator

decide that they will purchase
those properties which are clos-
er to home."
Mr Halkitis said this could
become a major fiscal issue,
because the Government in its
2007-2008 Budget forecasted
receiving some $90 million in
stamp tax revenue a $50 mil-
lion jump over the previous
year from real estate transac-
tions.
He said that as the situation
worsens, there may be some
level of investment fear, which
could have an impact on the
stock market and on the level of
consumer spending in the US.
"Remember that a lot of the
way that a person spends is

di
t

f
1
s
t
p
s
c
(
a
a
c

i

id home

Florida

based on how they feel, and if
:hey feel that there is going t
be a economic downturn they
will be less likely to spend mor-
ey on things like vacations or
homes, Mr Halkitis said.
Mr Halkitis said this was in
direct contrast to the early days
following the September
11,2001, terrorist attacks when
Americans were encouraged to
spend lots of money to boost
he economy and show their
)atriotism.
He added that it was still too
soon to determine whether the
country'ss international ratings
or economic forecasts by such
agencies as the International
monetary Fund could change
is a result of the United States
climate .
"A lot of this will depend on
what the Federal Reserve does
n the near future," he said.

Must have years experience in Indian cooking
with knowledge of Indian language and spices
of North & South India. Send resume to:
The Manager,
P.O. Box CB-11539

Florida Roadtrip The War "FUBAR" The Allies run short of fuel; airbome troops land behind enemy lines in The War
B WPBT the Netherlands; Leyte. (N) 1 (CC) "FUBAR" n
__il _(CC)
Te insider (N How I Met Your TheBigBang To and a Hlf :31) Rules of CSI: Miami "Cyber-lebrity" Informa-
0 WFOR (CC) Mother we're Theory (N) MenOdd reac- Engament (N) tion leaked about Horatio puts his
Not From Here" (CC) tions all around. (TC) life in danger. (N) A (CC)
Access Holly- Chuck Tension builds between Heroes Uzards" Matt enlists unlike- Journeyman Dan wonders if he
WTVJ wood Ben and Chuck's recently appointed partners. ly help as the attacks on people with imagined his time-traveling journey
Casey Afleck. (N) ( (CC) abilities continue. (N) and decides to get an MRI.
Deco Drive Prison Break Michael enlists T- K-Ville"Bedfellows" The city's for- News (N) (CC)
WSVN Bag's help to get to the only phone mer DA is found dead:'(N) n (CC)
in Sona; rescue bid. (N)
Jeopardy! (N) Dancing With the Stars (Live) A (CC) (:02) The Bachelor The remaining
WPLG (CC) 15 bachelorettes move into the
mansion; a racetrack date. (N) A
---I
:00)CSI: Miami The First 48 "Family Secrets; The First 48 The murder of an in- TheFirst 48 A gang shooting
A&E Not Landing" A Clipped" A young couple goes miss- vestor; the murder of a homeless leaves two dead; a man is found
(CC) ing; a young man is shot. man.(CC) dead in his truck. (CC)
(:00) News BBC News World Business BBC News Click News
BBCI (Latenight). Report (Latenight).

You are South in each of the 'fol-
S lowing five bidding sequences. How
many spades are you likely to have in
each case?
SOUTH NORTH
1. 1+ 1NT
2+

2. 14 1NT
3+ 3NT
Pass

3. 14 2*
2 2NT
3 3NT
Pass
4. 14 24
2NT 34
S4*
- I
5. 14 1
2+ 2NT
S3*

1. Six. Rarely would you have only
five spades. You would probably
pass with 5-3-3-2 distribution, and
bid your second suit with 5-4-2-2 or
,-z 5-4-3-1 distribution. Your hand
might look something like
4 AQ7632 V 8 AQJ + S43.
2. Six. The-jumnp to three spades
4 indicates six orinore spades, and-you

B
i
s
9
s
wciinxau3l\uc~~.cln

TIGER

E

T

N

I

J
SI

SL

-D

would be unlikely to pass three
notrump if you had seven spades.
SYour hand could be 4 KQJ952 V AJ
* Q84 4 A7.
3. Five. You can't have only four
spades because you would surely
have opened the bidding in a minor
with what is obviously a three-suited
hand. Your most likely distribution is
5-1-4-3, since you passed three
notrump and would probably not do
so with 6-0-4-3, 5-0-5-3 or 5-0-4-4
distribution. Your hand might be
QJ972 V J AK85 4 KQ4.
4. Five. Your opening spade bid
could have been made on a four-card
suit (assuming you play four-card
majors), and partner's delayed sup-
port is likely to be based on only
three spades. It would therefore be
wrong to bid four spades at this point
with only four trumps. You also can't
have six spades, since you would
have rebid the suit rather than bid
two notrump at your second turn. A
typical hand would be 4 KJ843 V K5
SK96 + A92.
5. Three. Partner has only four
spades, judging from his two-
notrump bid. If you had four also,
you would indicate this by bidding
three (or possibly four) ades
instead.of-thiee ,ci.- ly
have-:-aBt h (fy 72
AS' 9&' *^iMSe

The
Tuse
words in
the main
body of
Chamber
21st
Century
Dictionry
(1999
edition)

I '.pru" a .1 4 l&Nr jN HOW many words of four
eVet-l *M"" i letters or more can you make
from the letters shown here? In
making a word; each letter may
be used once only. Each must
contain the centre letter and
there must be at least one
a nine-letter word. No plurals.
S-4" k TODAY'S TARGET
Good 23; very good 35; excellent
46 (or more).
Solution tomorrow.

CRYPTIC PUZZLE 1
I~~~~~~~~ cunpz ) 6

ACROSS
1 To pay out for only half the Scotch Is
irregular (6)
7 Provided one could have easily
found the money (8)
8 Motherlessmanallat
sea? (4)
10 Have a go atasailing
manoeuvre? (6)
11 A more than generous cross-
section (6)
14 Had some dates(3)
16 Supply grub bere
apier (5)
17 It flows and mies into
the blend (4)
19 In extremes o tiidity, she's sick
at heart (5)
21 Is she the first person to be in
bloom? (5)
22 To duel is criminal (5)
23 Corporation viewable as
backward (4)
26 Moves the stock (possibly down
he river?) (5)
28 Extradecoration inthe
saloon (3)
29 To get te drama heightened can be
troulesome (4,2)
30 For many wrath can
bea hazard (6)
31 German cotton
centre (4)
32 The making of a
reason? (8)
33 Less than determined to
be a beast (6)

DOWN
1 Proudly show where the shops
are (6)
2 Cause uproar in the mad race at
half term (6)
3 Never call him a jerk! (4)
4 Vessel paddled in a semi-circle by
a girl (7)
5 Take up physical training after some
fuss (5)
6 Is dead wrong, yet right -
the snake (5)
8 Blow bats up! (4)
9 There's only one winner (3)
12 Time of doubt? (3)
13 Shelf with an angle on one side (5)
15 Find very lacking as a music and
dance scene (5)
18 Left a woman money for the flat (5)
19 Astonishing weight? (3)
20 Pork pie that might be hard to
swallow (3)
21 Outcome of being terribly ruthless,
albeit breathless (7)
22 Smart enough to go by air (3)
23 Boxer's bird? (6)
24 Therefore leave after only a half
of beer (4)
25 A bugler would be wrong
to do so (6)
26 Could it have given one a taste
for girls? (5)
27 Water containers
capable of leaks (5)
28 Take a knock (3)
30 In the end, perhaps, nothing gets
finished (4)

Dmitri Javchenko v Andrei
Volokitin, European
championship, Dresden 2007.
England sent several young
masters to this prestige event,
but though they performed well
the title was always going to go
to an Eastern Bloc-trained
player. Ukraine's 21-year-old
talent Volokitin led, alone or
jointly, for 10 of the 11 rounds
before a final fatal encounter
where he came up against the
top-seeded Russian. They
opened cagily, with a standard
line of the Sicilian Defence 1 e4
c5 where White attacks the king
while Black probes the queen's
flank. White has adopted a
recent finesse, advancing his a2
pawn to a5 early so as to deter
Black's normal b7-b5
counterplay. Javchenko has a
small edge in the diagram,
mainly because his Nf5 outpost
creates threats round the black
king. But Volokitin was well in

MONDAY,
OCT 1
ARIES March 21/April 20
It could be a tough slart to the
week, Aries. Take your time, find
ways to work around the problem
and be patient.
TAURUS April 21/May 21
You are sure to be daydreaming
about something you would like to
see happen over the coming few
days. Keep your feet on the
ground even though your head is
in the clouds.
GEMINI May 22/June 21
The time has come to accept that
certain friendships must be brought
to an end. Don't feel guilty about
letting go: the fact is, you have emo-
tionally and mentally moved on.
CANCER June 22/July 22
The most important thing today is
that you respond positively-to what-
ever happens, be it good, bad or
indifferent. Don't worry, it will
work to your advantage in the end.
LEO July 23/August 23
On the outside, you appear calm and
confident, but your emotions are,.
raging. You have to get over thistt
Life is full of disappointments it T
is how you handle them that matters.
VIRGO Aug 24/Sept 22
Don't let anyone try to change the
way you look at the world today.
You're the only one who truly
knows what's right for you. Follow
your heart and your dreams.
LIBRA Sept 23/Oct 23
There is nothing wrong with ambi-
tion, and this time of year brings out
the aspiring side of your nature. Your
first task is to remind yourself why
success is so important to you.
SCORPIO Oct 24/Nov 22
Just because something is accepted
wisdom does not mean you have to
follow it slavishly like everyone
else. You have something much bet-
ter than knowledge: common sense.
SAGITTARIUS Nov 23/Dec 21
There are things that need to be said,
things that need to be discussed and
things that need to be changed. It's
time to tackle these challenges once
and for all.
CAPRICORN Dec 22/Jan 20
What starts out as a minor disagree-
ment could develop into an all-out
battle. Focus on the important things
today meaning the things that are
important to you.
AQUARIUS Jan 21/Feb 18
You seem to believe you can pull
the wool over everyone's eyes,
regardless of facts that tell a very
different story. Be big enough to
admit you made a mistake.
PISCES Feb 19/March 20
You have to realize that you are not
responsible for the highs and lows of
other people's existence. Happiness
begins at home with yourself.

8423

ap i i fo Is 4
.3

l tse until the moment when
he had to choose among three
plausible alternatives: (a) Nxd3 to
swap off knight for bishop (b) exf4
isolating White's e4 pawn which
can then be menaced by black
pieces or (c) Be6 to pressure e4 and
prepare a d6-d5 advance. Two of
these choices are fine, unlucky
Volokitin chose the third and lost
game and European title. Can you
spot the blunder?
LEONARD BARDF"

S ly to result over
the collapse of a
deal for a left a
proposed multi-
million dollar marina/resort
investment at the British Colo-
,nial Hilton, The Tribune has
iribeen told.
i Sir William Allen, who is
acting as a consultant to the
Ministry of Finance and as an
Investment adviser in the new
S administration, confirmed to
-,The Tribune he had "heard
orithat" New York-based Island
ai Global Yachting (IGY) was
likely to explore the legal
option against the hotel's hold-
riing company, British Colonial
';Development Company, and
,its new majority owner after
their deal had fallen apart.
S The Tribune reported earli-
i er this year how the Canadian
-i cCommercial Workers Industry
-' Pension Plan (CCWIPP) sold a
inajority stake in the British
'Colonial Hilton's holding com-
nrpany to Adurion Investment
,f.i[Management, a boutique
j'Swiss/UK investment house.
Adurion itself has made a
Imore-than $30 million invest-
ement commitment to revitalise
he hotel, including a $15 mil-
vIlion refurbishment pro-
'igramme, after taking control
of the British Colonial Devel-
opment Company from its
-ifCanadian pension fund part-
lUner.
SAfter doing so, the original
joint venture contract, and the
one IGY was hoping Adurion
bawould stick with, was termi-
oinated by the Swiss/UK invest-
-"ment h6use, which is now
'searching for a new partner for
the marina joint venture.
j Sources said Adurion
bibecame concerned when IGY
leftt it late to supply it with
financial projections and
details on a project that would
0fbe happening next door to its
-slatest multi-million dollar
'"investment, as it needed to
Know what potential impact
there might be.
In addition, Adurion was
ijalso said to have been uncom-
,efortable with the price IGY
,'was paying under the original
"'contract to acquire the land it
needed from the British Colo-
nial Development Company,
,and wanted to increase it. Adu-
"rion is also said to have wanted
to play a more active role in
the marina project, participat-
ing as a co-investor in the pro-
ject.
It is understood that the for-
'mer Government was also con-
-cerned that IGY's initial pro-
ject design might limit Bahami-
an access to the beach at the
Western Esplanade.
Despite having received gov-
ernment approval in principle
for his project, IGY's chair-
man and chief executive,
Andrew Farkas, said earlier
this year that the deal had.run

CO

For evi

the mo]

dorn

into trouble and was effective-
ly "in limbo" after Adurion
allegedly tried to alter the
terms of the original agree-
ment.
He said then: "Right now,
it's in limbo because Adurion
and the pension fund who own
the property, and have a joint
venture deal with IGY, decid-
ed they wanted to change the
deal."..
"The Government had
approved everything, and our
deal with the pension fund was
fine. Everything was in great
shape, but then three weeks
later the pension fund decided
to take on a new partner.."
Hinting that IGY would
look at alternative sites for its
marina, and was not prepared
togive the project more time,
he added back then: "We're
very committed to the
Bahamas and have been for a

long time. We are participating
in a whole bunch of different
things going on down there. If
the worstcomes to the worst,
and we end up in conflict with
Adurion, we might have to
look elsewhere."
An economic impact study
predicted that the IGY project
would generate "very substan-
tial employment", creating 700
direct full-time jobs and anoth-
er 400 indirect permanent jobs
for Bahamians. The indirect
jobs will be created at suppliers
of goods and services to the
development, and through ser-
vices provided to yachts.
The study also forecast that
the IGY development would
create 200-250 full-time jobs
during construction, and have a
total economic impact of
$222.8 million over a 20-year
period.
IGY's proposed marina on

West Bay Street would have
72 slips, catering chiefly to the
larger yachts and vessels, those
of between 100-150 feet to 200
feet and longer.
The development will fea-
ture a boutique hotel of about
150-200 rooms, several restau-
rants, retail and a parking
structure for over 300 cars.
The project would also be a
key component to the Gov-
ernment's project to revitalize
downtown Bay Street and
waterfront Nassau. IGY spe-
cialises in reintegrating water-
fronts back into their commu-
nities and tourist industries,
having done this with its newly-
opened flagship development,
the $150 million Yacht Haven
Grande on St Thomas in the
US Virgin Islands. Its target
market is five-star marina
developments on a global
scale.

In accordance with the Road Traffic Act
Statue Laws of the Bahamas, the inspection
of Public Service Vehicles will be carried
out in New Providence and the Family
Islands beginning Monday 1st October thru
Wednesday 31st October 2007.

Owners and operators of these vehicles must
ensure that the total numbers of vehicles
covered by their franchise are presented for
licensing and inspection. When and owner
or operator present fewer vehicles for
licensing and inspection that is covered by
his/her franchise, the Road Traffic Authority
Board in the absence of proof will assume
that he/she no longer needs the franchise,
which are not presented at this time. The
Authority therefore, requires his/her to show
cause why 90(1), which refer to the
revocation of franchise in the Road Traffic
Act.

Further all franchise holders must produce
documentary proof to show that their
franchise is operational at the time of
licencing and inspection.